“Affirming motherhood and praising your wife, as well as highlighting the sacrifice and dedication it takes to be a mother, is not bigoted,” Tavia Hunt wrote on Instagram Friday.
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In the wake of the controversy surrounding Harrison Butker’s commencement address, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt is standing up for many of the same values the kicker espoused in his speech.
In a heartfelt post on Instagram, Tavia Hunt shared her thoughts on motherhood and a woman’s role, cautioning others not to take “things out of context.”
“I’ve always encouraged my daughters to be highly educated and to chase their dreams,” began Tavia, a mother of three. “I want them to know they can achieve anything they desire (that honors God). But I also want them to understand that finding a spouse who loves and respects you and raising a family together is one of life’s greatest blessings.”
Hunt went on, “Affirming motherhood and praising your wife, as well as highlighting the sacrifice and dedication it takes to be a mother, is not bigoted. Acknowledging that the hard work of raising children is valuable is empowering. Countless highly educated women choose to devote their lives to nurturing their children. If someone disagrees with you, it doesn’t make them hateful; it simply means they have a different perspective.”
She continued by suggesting that her followers “celebrate families, motherhood, and fatherhood,” adding a bible verse for emphasis.
She concluded, “We need to be cautious about taking things out of context. Soundbites with hateful comments are not what we should model for our children. We need more dialogue and values in this country and less hate.”
In support of Tavia’s sentiments, her daughter Gracie, 25, shared her own perspective. “Well, I can only speak from my own experience, which is I’ve had the most incredible mom who stayed home with us as we grew up,” Gracie said. “I understand many women can’t make that decision, but for me, it was formative in shaping who my siblings and I are today.”
She added, “And I really respect Harrison and his Christian faith and what he’s accomplished on and off the field.”
Tavia and Gracie’s comments come in response to Harrison Butker’s May 11 speech at Benedictine College, during which the kicker touched on topics including the LGBTQ+ community, working women, and abortion rights. His remarks have faced increasing scrutiny.
On Thursday, Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager criticized Butker’s remarks on the ‘Today with Hoda and Jenna’ show. Maria Shriver and Flavor Flav also voiced their disapproval.
Meanwhile, on ‘The View,’ Whoopi Goldberg defended Butker’s address, comparing him to Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL player who knelt during the national anthem in 2016. “The same way we want to respect Colin Kaepernick for taking a knee, we should also respect people whose ideas differ from ours,” Goldberg said.
A petition on Change.org calling for the NFL team to remove Butker from its roster had gathered over 180,000 signatures by Friday morning.