Navy hires drag queen to boost recruitment.
The U.S. Navy Hires Drag Queen as Digital Ambassador to Boost Recruitment
The U.S. Navy has taken an unconventional approach to boost recruitment by hiring Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, 29, who identifies as non-binary and performs in drag under the name “Harpy Daniels,” as one of its five Navy Digital Ambassadors. Kelley’s appointment was part of a pilot recruitment program that ran from October to March, aimed at exploring the digital environment to reach a wider range of potential candidates.
Breaking Stereotypes and Representing the Oppressed
Kelley, who served as an administrative supervisor aboard the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, has been performing in drag for his fellow sailors since joining the Navy in 2016. In his Instagram video, Kelley said he is “being the representation of people who were oppressed for years in the service.”
“From joining to 2016 and being able to share my drag experience on my off time with my fellow sailors has been a blessing,” Kelley wrote on Instagram in November when he announced his Digital Ambassador appointment. “This experience has brought me so much strength, courage and ambition to continue being an advocate and representation of queer sailors!”
Plummeting Recruitment
The Navy is hoping to recruit more than 5,000 officers and enlisted sailors in 2024, which would bump the branch from fewer than 342,000 up to 347,000 sailors. However, recruitment is plummeting despite the military branch’s attempts to recruit more Gen Z sailors. This year, the Navy is expected to recruit 6,000 fewer recruits than its target, according to Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti’s testimony to House lawmakers last month.
Future Plans
The Navy recruitment campaign in which Kelley participated ended in April, and the Navy is now deciding what the program will look like in the future. The Navy spokesperson confirmed that the Navy did not compensate Kelley or any others for being Navy Digital Ambassadors.
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