Who is Joshua Kelley aka Harpy Daniels? US Navy appoints drag queen as new ‘digital ambassador’ in bid to boost recruitment
WASHINGTON, DC: The United States Navy has brought on an active-duty drag queen to participate in a pilot program in a bid to reach younger recruits through popular social media platforms. Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, whose stage name is Harpy Daniels, in November 2022, announced on social media that the Navy had invited him to become the first “Navy Digital Ambassador.”
Kelley, who identifies as non-binary, was one of just five active sailors selected to serve as 'digital ambassadors' for the Navy’s new program which was “designed to explore the digital environment to reach a wide range of potential candidates,” the Navy spokesperson told Daily Caller. Running from October 2022, the pilot program concluded in March 2023 with authorities now evaluating its effectiveness to consider what form it will take in the future. “The Navy did not compensate YN2 Kelley or any others for being Navy Digital Ambassadors,” the spokesperson noted, adding that no promotional or recruiting materials with the ambassadors exist.
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Who is Joshua Kelley aka Harpy Daniels?
The 29-year-old Kelley, from Berwick, Pennsylvania, joined the Navy in 2016, following in his father’s footsteps. He previously claimed that he started performing as a drag, years before joining the Navy, gaining inspiration from the queens on RuPaul's Drag Race, which he began watching when he was 16 years old. According to NBC News, he began performing on ships after winning a sanctioned MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) lip-syncing competition in 2017, while serving aboard the USS Ronald Reagan. Then, Kelly named himself "Harpy" after the Harpy eagle which happens to be his favorite animal.
The officer claims he was never subjected to harassment in the Navy, but his appearance at a diversity, equality, and inclusion event at Langley Joint Air Force Base in the summer of 2022 'caused an uproar to many conservatives and Christian extremists'. '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', he told the USS Constitution Museum in an interview.
During his announcement video, Kelly highlighted his journey from performing on board beginning in 2018 and growing to become an 'advocate' for those 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,” he wrote in the caption, adding “This experience has brought me so much strength, courage, and ambition to continue being an advocate and representation of queer sailors!”
Why did the Navy recruit a drag queen as a ‘digital ambassador’?
The Navy's deployment of a drag queen as a "digital ambassador" was part of a bigger campaign to reach out to Gen Z. During this campaign, the Military branch launched a series of advertisements on social media sites such as Instagram, as well as on TV and streaming services aimed towards a younger demographic. It even updated its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement, which it promoted prominently online, according to Daily Mail.
But despite all these efforts, only 2% of the youth population is willing to serve the Navy while meeting the joining requirement, a spokesperson for the ad agency VMLY&R told USNI News. Last month, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm Lisa Franchetti presented written testimony to the House Armed Services Committee, stating that the Navy is on track to fall 8,000 recruits short of its objective of recruiting 347,000 officers and enlisted sailors. 'We entered this fiscal year with a record low Delayed Entry Pool after exhausting all means to meet the recruiting goal in FY2022", she wrote of a program that allows people to accept contracts with the Navy.