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.”
Their letter follows media coverage this week of how Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley had been named a “digital ambassador” for the Navy as part of a pilot program that started in November and ran through March.
Kelley goes by 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.
Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, known as “Harpy Daniels,” was one of five Navy “Digital Ambassadors” in a pilot program that ran through March
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 ask Del Toro a number of questions about the ambassador program, including whether federal funds have been spent.
They gave the Secretary of the Navy until May 24 to respond.
Kelley goes by 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
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.