Former Space Force commander sues Navy for using drag queen to boost recruitment

A former Space Force lieutenant who was fired from his post for complaining about the proliferation of critical race theories in the military has spoken out about the drag queen the US Navy uses as a recruiting ambassador.

Matthew Lohmeier, who was formerly in charge of the 11th Space Warning Squadron in Colorado until he was ousted in 2021 after denouncing CRT and Marxism on a podcast, wondered who the Navy thought it was going to reach with its latest recruitment tactics.

“I have to wonder who it is that our senior military leaders actually think they’re attractive in the recruiting process by hiring a drag queen as their digital ambassador,” Lohmeier told Fox News in a recent interview.

He was referring to Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley being named a “digital ambassador” for the Navy as part of a pilot program that started in November and ran through March.

The decision to use the drag queen as an ambassador has provoked a strong backlash, as people criticized the move.

Kelley goes by the stage name ‘Harpy Daniels’ and has a strong following on social media, including TikTok, with 60,800 followers and 1.3 million likes. Kelley is also on Instagram with nearly 9,000 followers.

In the videos, Kelley often starts out in uniform and then reappears as Harpy Daniels. The non-binary drag queen dances and often shares an inspiring message about being an LGBTQ+ sailor.

said Lohmeier Fox news he was irked by the Navy’s decision and predicted that Kelley’s position as spokesman would not help recruitment.

He said most military personnel “believe in the Western nuclear family” and are wary of exposing children to drag queens.

The former lieutenant said the situation was just another example of leftist agendas working their way into the armed forces.

“We’ve known in recent years during the Biden administration that this is happening more and more,” he said. “What is surprising is that senior military leaders continue to push such an agenda, despite the fact that it harms our recruiting efforts and hurts our retention.”

He added that there were likely senior members of the military who disliked Kelley’s use, but were unable to speak up, leaving it to “late” members of the armed forces to voice those opinions.

However, some government officials have spoken out against Kelley’s position.

A group of 14 Republican senators wrote a letter on Wednesday to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro asking why the Navy brought in a “TikTok drag queen” to boost recruiting numbers.

Senator Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, Marco Rubio and others told Del Toro that “we are concerned about both the promotion of a banned app and behavior that many consider inappropriate in a professional workplace.”

In the letter, Republicans first objected to the Navy apparently approving TikTok, choosing Kelley as its “digital ambassador.”

They pointed to the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in December, which prohibits the app from being downloaded on US government devices because of its Chinese owner.

“The bottom line is that the Navy cannot promote the use of TikTok, an app banned on department devices, on the personal devices of military personnel or its ‘ambassadors,'” the letter read.

The Republicans then moved on to the Navy’s choice to turn a drag queen into a “digital ambassador.”

“At a time when our nation’s military is facing a recruiting crisis, it is as important as ever to reach broader segments of the eligible population — but not at the cost of privacy, security or professionalism,” the Republicans argued. On.

In the letter, they ask Del Toro if the Navy approves of drag shows.

“Would the Navy use burlesque dancers or exotic dancers to reach potential recruits?” ask the senators. “Such activities are not suitable for promotion in a professional workplace or in the US military,” they add.

The senators then asked Del Toro a number of questions about the ambassador program, including whether federal funds were being spent.

They gave the Secretary of the Navy until May 24 to respond.

Kelley joined the Navy in 2016 and made his first drag appearance as a sailor during a 2018 broadcast.

In a November post when Kelley was named a “Digital Ambassador,” the drag queen wrote that sharing drag with fellow sailors was “a blessing.”

“This experience has given me so much strength, courage and ambition to continue being an advocate and representative of queer sailors!” Kelly wrote.

“Thanks to the Navy for giving me this opportunity! I am not speaking on behalf of the navy, just sharing my experience in the navy! Hooyah, and let’s go Slay!’ added the drag queen.

LGBTQ+ members of the military have fought for decades to serve openly.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which banned gay and lesbian Americans from serving openly, but which would ban discrimination.

That policy was overturned in 2010 by President Barack Obama and Democratic majorities in Congress.

In 2016, under the Obama administration, the ban on transgender service members was lifted.

However, in July 2017, then-President Donald Trump reintroduced the ban via a tweet.

President Joe Biden reversed the ban on his fifth day in office in January 2021.

More broadly, Republicans have continued to attack the LGBTQ community with new laws.

In 2023 the American Civil Liberties Union followed 471 anti-LGBTQ accounts pushed across the country.