Navy criticized for using drag queen in recruitment efforts.
US Navy Under Fire for Using Drag Queen Influencer to Attract New Members
UPDATED 4:50 PM – Wednesday, May 3, 2023
The United States Navy is facing criticism for its use of a “drag queen influencer” to help attract new members during a severe recruiting crisis.
Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, who goes by the stage name “Harpy Daniels” and identifies as non-binary, was revealed to be a “Digital Ambassador” in the Navy’s test initiative to draw in freshmen.
“Thank you to the Navy for giving me this opportunity! I don’t speak for the Navy but simply sharing my experience in the Navy! Hooyah, and let’s go Slay!” Kelley wrote.
Former U.S. military personnel, as well as MPs, have responded to the news in a fiery manner.
Representative Jim Banks (R-Ind.)
Chair of the House Military Personnel Subcommittee, expressed his disapproval and said that “woke” officials are “projecting weakness abroad and divisiveness at home.”
“The recruitment shortage is a serious crisis that we must address with serious solutions. TikTok videos of drag queens are just making a bad problem worse,” Banks said.
Former Navy SEAL Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas)
In a tweet, sarcastically insinuated that the military branch should collaborate with Anheuser-Busch who had recently came under fire for using transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Former Republican Senate candidate and combat veteran Sean Parnell
Claimed that “woke BS is destroying [the] military.”
Kelley’s Instagram bio displayed that the Navy sailor’s views “are not endorsed by DoD or DoN.” In sharing one video from 2018, the drag performer has claimed to have danced in drag for service officers on numerous occasions.
“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.
From October 2022 through March 2023, Kelley took part in the Navy’s Digital Ambassador program, which was “designed to explore the digital environment to reach a wide range of potential candidates,” a Navy spokesperson said. The official added that this was due to the Navy currently dealing with “
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