The Navy's woke initiatives did not turn out as those in charge had hoped. Faced with recruitment problems in recent years, officials showed off 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, who uses the name Harpy Daniels in his drag queen performances, as a digital ambassador to attract Generation Z youth and "diverse people." However, the enlistment period closed with 8,000 unfilled vacancies.
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
Navy updates its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy
The experiment of using Harpy Daniels and four other digital ambassadors is the most recent step in the Navy's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy. Between November of last year and March of this year, Kelley's drag alter ego uploaded several videos to his social media praising what the Navy is doing for the LGBT community. He identifies as non-binary and asks that people use feminine pronouns (she/her) to refer to him.
In addition to this social media campaign, the Navy updated its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy guidelines on April 3 which now include that it committed "to enabling a workforce demographic similar to that of the nation it serves. With nearly 50% of recruitable talent coming from diverse talent, the Navy must be deliberate to create a culture where every person, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to succeed," according to the statement.
Controversy on social media
Interestingly, the campaign has gotten more traction since Daniels' videos went viral on social media with users and influencers criticizing the Navy for this spin, claiming that the nation's enemies are "laughing at us." Among the leading, and harshest, critics is Robert J. O'Neill, a decorated Navy Seal and widely recognized as one of the members of the team that took down Osama Bin Laden. O'Neill said that, if this continues, "China is going to destroy us" and "I can't believe I fought for this nonsense."
Alright. The U.S. Navy is now using an enlisted sailor Drag Queen as a recruiter. I’m done. China is going to destroy us. YOU GOT THIS NAVY. I can’t believe I fought for this bullshit.
— Robert J. O'Neill (@mchooyah) May 3, 2023
Kelley's response "haters only hate when we are winning" also helped fuel the controversy and increase his popularity among both his haters and supporters.
@harpydaniels Haters only Hate when you are winning. LGBTQ+ People never could serve open because of DADT. Now that we can, you can see who the Homphobic and Transphobic people are. #fyp #miltok #military #lgbt #dragtok #grahamallen
