Bryce Mitchell, an American mixed martial artist, recently made headlines when he revealed that he would be homeschooling his infant son. Mitchell explained his decision, stating that he does not want his son to grow up to be gay. This controversial statement has sparked a heated debate about parenting choices and LGBTQ+ rights.
Mitchell, 29, expressed his concerns regarding homeschooling his children in an Instagram video on Wednesday. Holding his son, Tucker, who was born on March 29, Mitchell stated, “We’re going to have to homeschool all our kids or they’re all going to end up turning gay. That’s the reason I’m going to homeschool Tucker because I don’t want him to be a communist, I don’t want him to worship Satan, I don’t want him to be gay.”
Mitchell, a UFC featherweight fighter with a record of 16-3 and known as “Thug Nasty,” recently made homophobic remarks. He shared these comments on Instagram, where he has a following of nearly 500,000. Prior to this, Mitchell also expressed his views on vaccinations, urging his followers not to vaccinate their children. In addition, he voiced his concerns about public schools, stating that they should have students reading the Bible.
“They removed it from the schools and substituted it with Edgar Allen Poe, who had a relationship with his cousin,” Mitchell, an Arkansas native and a cattle farmer when he’s not in an MMA cage, expressed. “I don’t want my son reading Edgar Allan Poe, alright? I want him to read the Bible.”
It is unclear whether Mitchell, who openly expresses his belief in a flat Earth, intends to personally homeschool Tucker.
Mitchell’s Instagram video received a range of responses. Two fellow UFC fighters, including Sean Strickland and welterweight star Jorge Masvidal, seemed to express support. Strickland, a former UFC middleweight champion who has previously made anti-LGBTQ remarks publicly, responded with prayer and American flag emojis. Masvidal simply wrote, “God Bless.”
Some individuals offered a more critical perspective in response to the remarks. They pointed out the homophobic nature of the comments and questioned why Mitchell was criticizing Poe. One person even commented on Mitchell’s choice of attire, suggesting that he should put on pants before recording videos.
The UFC and Mitchell’s team, Barata MMA, have not yet commented on Mitchell’s Instagram post, despite requests for their input.
Just two weeks ago, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker made national headlines for his commencement speech at a Catholic college. In his speech, Butker encouraged women to pursue homemaking and expressed his opposition to abortion, Covid-19 lockdown measures, and LGBTQ Pride Month. Shortly after this incident, Mitchell made his own anti-gay remarks.
