US Navy’s drag influencer campaign backfires like Bud Light.

The U.S. Navy’s Controversial Choice for Digital Ambassador

The U.S. Navy has once again found itself in hot water with a decision that is hard to believe. In May, it was revealed that Navy Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, also known as drag queen Harpy Daniels, was chosen to be a recruiting “digital ambassador” in a six-month pilot program that ended in March.

Kelley’s Instagram page showcases photos and TikTok videos of him in both his uniform and glitzy drag outfits, complete with multi-colored wigs, stage makeup, and burlesque poses. This is the same sailor who was photographed by Navy Times in 2018 performing a drag queen strip tease to entertain fellow crewmembers on the carrier Ronald Reagan.

A Question of Judgment

However, this story is not just about Kelley’s performances. It’s about the judgment of the unnamed officials who chose a male drag queen as a Navy digital ambassador to potential recruits. Whoever came up with this idea should be held accountable and precluded from evaluating the results of the pilot program.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have some explaining to do. At a recent hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., asked Milley and Austin about drag queen performances on military bases and critical race theory (CRT) programs in Defense Department schools.

Milley claimed it was the first he’d heard of “that kind of stuff,” adding that he didn’t agree and “It shouldn’t be happening.” Austin was evasive, but said for the record, “Listen, drag shows are not something that the Department of Defense supports or funds.”

Complicating Matters

The permissive policy regarding cross-dressing options for personnel preparing to transition, which was revised in December 2022 in Defense Department regulations regarding persons identifying as transgenders (DoDI 1300.28), goes beyond Obama-era rules. The previous rules permitted “real life experience” (RLE) cross-dressing only while off-duty and off-base. The Center for Military Readiness reported in February that this change could increase the number of cross-dressing drag queen performers (who are not necessarily transgender) performing on military bases.

The videos of Yeoman Kelley in drag are expressions of his sexuality, but this type of adult entertainment is no more acceptable on a military ship or base than a minstrel show would be. Whether intended or not, such performances are based on a form of cultural appropriation that stereotypes and disrespects women.

Questions about “equity” complicate matters. If Kelley can perform strip dances on ships or military bases, why shouldn’t Navy women be allowed to lift morale by expressing their own sexuality in the same glitzy-costumed way?

Congress Must Intervene

The Navy’s first drag queen digital ambassador, Yeoman Kelley, may have a bright future ahead of him. His special status could lead to media exposure, book deals, and advertising gigs more lucrative than any compensation the Navy could offer. However, this is not the time for distractions from the sea service’s primary purpose – defending America from multiple threats.

Under lax Biden administration rules, sexualized performances that weaken military culture could proliferate on many military bases, Defense Department schools, and all the ships at sea. Congress should demand accountability from policymakers who don’t understand the importance of military culture. “Dignity and respect” should include discipline, selflessness, and undiminished focus on missions that protect national security in a dangerous world.

Elaine Donnelly is President of the Center for Military Readiness, an independent public policy organization that reports on and analyzes military and social issues.