US Navy appoints drag queen as digital ambassador to increase recruitment.

The Navy’s “Nonbinary” Drag Queen Digital Ambassador

The Navy is taking a bold step to attract younger Americans amid recruitment shortages by promoting a “nonbinary” drag queen to be its first “digital ambassador.” Joshua Kelley, an active sailor who performs under the stage name Harpy Daniels, announced on TikTok in November that he was invited to the program. Kelley has been performing on Navy ships since 2018 and claims to be an “advocate” for people who “were oppressed for years in the service.”

Embracing Diversity and Inclusion

The program for digital ambassadors ran from October 2022 to March 2023 and was designed to “explore the digital environment to reach a wide range of potential candidates,” according to a Navy spokesperson. The military’s embrace of a drag queen comes as it struggles to meet recruitment goals. The Navy is projected to fall 8,000 short of its recruitment goal this year, and the Army is expected to miss its goal again after only filling 45,000 slots out of its goal of 60,000 last year.

A Regular Performer on U.S. Military Ships

Kelley is a regular performer on U.S. military ships, according to the Daily Mail. He first started performing on ships after a sanctioned MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) lip-syncing contest in 2017, while deployed on the USS Ronald Reagan, and became a regular in the competitions. The officer insists he never experienced harassment in the Navy, but when he was scheduled to perform at a diversity, equity, and inclusion event at Langley Joint Air Force Base in the summer of 2022, it “caused an uproar to many conservatives and Christian extremists.”

Advocating for the LGBTQ+ Community

“I’m an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, and being able to do drag is not just for me, but a tribute to many service members who were kicked out, harassed, bullied, or worse for being openly gay during Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Kelley told the USS Constitution Museum in an interview, referencing the Bush-era policy that discouraged military members from disclosing their sexual orientation.

Conclusion

The Navy’s decision to promote a drag queen as a digital ambassador is a bold move to attract younger Americans and embrace diversity and inclusion. While it may cause controversy among some conservatives and Christian extremists, it is a step towards creating a more inclusive military that welcomes people of all backgrounds and identities.

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