A conservative leaning legal group accused the U.S. Navy’s drag queen “digital ambassador” of breaching military rules with his social media posts.
America First Legal (AFL) accused Yeoman Second Class Joshua Kelley, who performs as a drag queen called “Harpy Daniels,” of “knowingly, materially, and repeatedly violated these critical
requirements” of a service member in the Armed Forces.
In a letter to Navy officials at the Pentagon on Monday, the organization requested that an a misconduct investigation be opened into Kelley for his online behavior.
They charged that the military needs to have the “American people’s confidence and support,” and must investigate any breaches of restrictions on service members and impose appropriate consequences.
U.S. Navy are now using Drag Queen Joshua Kelley (AKA Harpy Daniels) to attract new enlistment.
This must strike fear in our enemies. pic.twitter.com/pH3n8pUyOw— C Young (@cathyyoung421) May 3, 2023
The requisites they claimed Kelley has violated include remaining “above partisan politics,” refraining from “publicly criticizing the military,” behaving in a way that reflects positively upon the Armed Forces, and complying with “restrictions on when the uniform maybe worn.”
AFL accused Kelley of habitually posting “graphic sexual materials” on his social media channels that discredit the Armed Forces while acting as a “purportedly a Pentagon–approved Digital Ambassador.”
They cited a 2019 post of a photo of himself in uniform, along with a caption complaining that he hadn’t received his “daily dose of glitter and d**k.”
Navy drag queen 'Harpy Daniels' is serving looks and the country. Joshua Kelley, 24, performs drag for his fellow Navy sailors while also fulfilling the role of his squadron’s administrative supervisor by day. pic.twitter.com/OQrr33dmL5
— Bryan Doyle (@Bryan700) August 30, 2018
In a January 2020 follow-up, he claimed to have given such vigorous oral s*x to another man that it gave him a nosebleed.
A post later that Spring included a photo of tight shorts and his visible erection.
The legal group said that the social media behavior could trigger a Court Martial and up to six months in confinement.
They also accused him of “inappropriate partisan activity” for encouraging his followers to “vote in a a democratic majority,” calling former President Donald Trump a “mutherf**ker” and pushing for criminal charges against him, and advocating for Democratic Stacy Abrams during the Georgia gubernatorial race.
AFL said that Kelley displayed open contempt for superiors when he tweeted that “All of 7th fleet is lazy” in 2019.
In their final point, the legal group said that Kelley “makes extensive use of his Navy affiliation to boost his public profile and facilitate his homosexual activism,” by consistently juxtaposing himself in uniform and then in drag in both photos and videos.
Meet the new face of the U.S. Navy…a drag queen.
Non-binary Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley is one of four Digital Ambassadors hired to push recruitment drives for the U.S. Navy.
Does this inspire you to join the navy?
🎥 @JesseBWatters @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/wkLNJMRQK6
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 4, 2023
They cited former U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Gary Stein, who was discharged in 2012 for creating a Facebook group called the “Armed Forces Tea Party” and criticizing former President Barack Obama.
“The Navy cannot have one standard for political conservatives such as Sergeant Stein … and another more generous standard for YN2 Kelley and others who share his views,” the letter concluded.
Kelley, who identifies as nonbinary, went viral after serving as one of five “Digital Ambassadors” for the Navy from October through March 2023.
After sparking negative backlash by prominent service members, Kelley made a rebuttal video of himself in uniform, then cycling through various looks as his drag queen persona.
“You only want to support the military when it benefits you and doesn’t involve queer people,” he captioned the video. “Yet the military is the largest diverse, and adaptable organization in the use.”
“Well as a service member, a queen, and an open queer person. You dont scare me and you won’t stop the LGBTQ+ community for thriving!”
“Haters only Hate when we’re winning,” they concluded.
The post has since been deleted, as has Kelley’s Instagram account at the time of publishing.