The U.S. Navy is now reportedly using drag queens to recruit troops as the military has fallen short of its recruiting goals recently.
In an effort to recruit the younger generation, the Navy has enlisted an active-duty drag queen to take part in a test initiative aimed at using popular social media platforms such as Twitter and TikTok to reach a broader audience.
The military has a huge recruiting/retention crisis because they went woke. How did they try to fix it? By going more woke. Meet Joshua Kelley. Drag name Harpy Daniels. U.S. Navy named him Digital Ambassador to recruit new demos to join the Navy. Insane. pic.twitter.com/2DWOAIgWr4
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) May 2, 2023
Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, who goes by the drag name Harpy Daniels, disclosed in an Instagram post last year that he was invited by the Navy to become its inaugural “Navy Digital Ambassador.”
“I am Joshua Kelley, currently 2nd class petty officer in the US Navy. I identify as Non- Binary and this has been an unbelievable experience since I’ve joined the Navy. 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’s post dated Nov. 17, 2022.
“This experience has brought me so much strength, courage and ambition to continue being an advocate and representation of queer sailors! Come follow me on this journey and see where we go next. 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!” the post continued.
The move garnered mixed responses on social media, with many saying that hiring potential recruits based on their sexuality could just weaken the country’s already-ailing military.
“I guarantee the Chinese are showing this video to their soldiers so they can mock what our military has become. They will not fear us which makes them stronger,” wrote one Twitter user.
“You use this as a recruitment tool you will end up with military that has nothing that would instill fear in the enemy. You will have a recruit that will not be able to fight a well trained, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy with an expectation of victory before an engagement even begins,” tweeted another.
This comes as the U.S. Armed Forces recently announced that it only enlisted 75 percent of its goal for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. The Army has since introduced a new program that will help low-performing recruits meet academic and fitness standards in order to address the shortage.
