(OPINION) The “openly queer” drag queen sailor used by the U.S. Navy as a recruiting ambassador claimed in a video interview that “every branch” of the American military “has drag queens.” Yeoman Second Class Joshua Kelley — an active-duty sailor who goes by the drag stage name Harpy Daniels — told NewsNation that “diversity … makes us stronger and makes us the number-one” military.
According to TheBlaze, When Kelley was asked if the focus on diversity in the U.S. military takes away from its “lethality” in the eyes of other countries that may want do harm to America, Kelly didn’t really answer.
“It’s more than just diversity,” he said, adding that “we are taught our ethics and how to serve with honor, courage, and commitment, how to do my job, how to lead my sailors. I’ve been on three deployments myself … I’m proud to serve, and I’m proud for the stuff that I’ve done within the military, too. I’m more than just a drag queen.” Kelley also noted he’s received “awards” and attained “accomplishments” in the Navy.
U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six member Robert J. O’Neill recently leveled a headline-grabbing critique against the Navy for appointing Kelley as a recruiting ambassador. His tweet read, in part: “I’m done. China is going to destroy us. YOU GOT THIS NAVY. I can’t believe I fought for this bulls**t.”
When Kelley was asked if such criticism is hurtful, he replied that as far as “hate or negativity” goes, “I simply just pay it no mind and … eventually the truth will come out, and what is right is what is right, and what is wrong is what is wrong. … My job is to just continue doing what I’m doing,” he said, noting that he serves as “an openly queer sailor.”
