Long a vocal supporter of gender equality and women’s rights, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder on Saturday (May 18) slammed a recent speech by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker denouncing Pride Month and advocating for women to abandon their dreams and careers in favor or serving their husbands.
Speaking from the stage during the second of two shows at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, Vedder first saluted opening act Deep Sea Diver, whose vocalist Jessica Dobson and keyboardist Patti King are female. “They must not have believed that diabolical lie that women should take pride in taking a back seat to their man,” he said, alluding to the May 11 commencement speech at Benedictine College by Butker, who is a devout Catholic.
“There should be pride in homemaking, whether you’re a man or a woman,” Vedder continued. “It’s maybe one of the hardest jobs and you should definitely take pride in it. But you shouldn’t not follow a dream because you think that you’re going to benefit by giving up your dreams. I couldn’t understand the logic, so I’m questioning it in public right now. It’s not a graduation speech, but it’s a full house in Las Vegas.”
In a dig at Butker’s on-field role, Vedder said, “The irony was that … the kicker doesn’t have the pads because he doesn’t tackle anybody or get tackled. But, he started telling men, ‘Don’t forget to puff up your chest and be more masculine. Don’t lose your masculinity.’ The irony was that when he was saying that, he looked like such a fucking p—y.”
“There’s nothing more masculine than a strong man supporting a strong woman. People of quality do not fear equality,” he concluded, adding that Hobson isn’t “fronting a band” because “she decided, ‘I’ll just take the back seat and support a man.’ It’s complete f—ing bull—-.” Watch the video of the full sequence below.
Butker’s speech has been widely denounced by religious leaders, other sports and entertainment figures and even the National Football League, who said his “views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”