Navy officials called critics of LGBTQ+ Pride efforts 'bigots' and 'a**holes,' emails show

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EXCLUSIVE — Navy officials dismissed critics of its promotion of LGBTQ+ Pride as "bigots" and "a**holes," according to emails obtained by Fox News Digital.

Two Navy officials expressed disgust with negative public response to its social media posts for LGBTQ+ Pride Month last year, according to emails obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request from the Functional Government Initiative. The two officials schemed on how to best post its "rainbow wingtip graphic" for LGBTQ+ Pride Month, which they complained would be flooded with "feedback from trolls and ugliness."

One official wrote that he had a "really rough day" and was debating whether to disable comments on social media posts.

"I just don't have the emotional energy to deal with rude a**holes and we are planning to put up our Pride Month post," wrote the official, whose name and position are redacted. "I'd just as soon post our message without any feedback from trolls and ugliness."

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The two Navy officials expressed disgust with negative public response to its social media posts for LGBTQ+ Pride Month last year, according to emails obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request. (iStock)

The Navy’s assistant chief of information, whose name is redacted, responded to this suggestion on disabling posts with advice on how to promote the "righteousness of our cause" with help from "more savory members of our audience."

"Not a best practice, but totally up to you. Here’s how I advised our leadership before we put up our rainbow wingtip graphic," the official wrote.

"This will draw fire from the less savory members of our audience. However, the likely actions of bad actors should not stop us from doing the right thing. The more savory members of our audience will generally rise to our defense. But no amount of clobbering the bad actors with comm points will convince them of the righteousness of our cause, and they will only respond with more bile. Therefore, unless otherwise directed, we will not engage," the official continued.

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The official then expressed his discomfort with how the "bigots" outpaced the Navy in social media traction.

"Here's the good news: Our audience immediately rose to our defense. Although the posts by the bigots got more likes than the defenders of our shipmates, the defenders’ posts are just as visible. I say post it, let it go, and watch your fans do the right thing," the official wrote.

"But understand if you’ve had your fill of ugliness. Let me know what you decide to do," he continued.

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The Navy's assistant chief of information, in a separate email about choosing a Pride Month profile photo for social media, appeared to suggest there is an opposition from the recruiting wing of the Navy, known as CRUITCOM. (Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

The assistant chief of information, in a separate email about choosing a Pride Month profile photo for social media, appeared to suggest there was opposition from the recruiting wing of the Navy, known as CRUITCOM.

"CRUITCOM has in the past expressed disappointment with us for modifying the brand icon," the official wrote.

The official then debated whether to ask CRUITCOM for permission to use the LGBTQ+ profile photo.

"I don't recommend we give them a ‘Mother, may I?’ But we may want to give them [a] warnord (a notice of an order or action to follow). If we do, do you have preference on how much of a heads-up we give them and who it should come from? I can do it by sending them a note with a picture of the icon you choose and telling them we're posting it in an hour's time," the official wrote.

This supposed opposition from CRUITCOM comes as the Navy is estimated to miss its recruitment goals for fiscal year 2023 by 16%, according to the vice chief of naval operations.

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Navy Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, who goes by the stage name "Harpy Daniels," announced in November 2022 that he was the Navy’s "Digital Ambassador." (Screenshot/Harpy Daniels/TikTok)

Pete McGinnis, the director of communications for Functional Government Initiative, said the documents show that the Navy values politics over its own struggling recruitment efforts.

"It appears there are personnel in the U.S. Navy who believe promoting the LGBTQ agenda is more important than their ethical responsibilities to keep politics separate from their responsibilities in the military," McGinnis said. "To devise schemes to circumvent any input of recruiters while the armed forces suffer a recruiting crisis puts the nation at risk."

The Navy admitted earlier this month it hired a drag queen to help with recruiting. Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, known as "Harpy Daniels" on stage, announced his "Digital Ambassador" position with the Navy in November 2022. Kelley says he has danced for midshipmen on several occasions since 2018.

During LGBTQ+ Pride Month last year, the Navy created a video to instruct sailors how to use the correct pronouns for different gender identities, the Washington Free Beacon reported. The video was produced to appear like a children’s show and emphasized the importance of using "inclusive language" to create a "safe space."

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"A pronoun is how we identify ourselves apart from our name, and it's also how people refer to us in conversations," said engineer Conchy Vasquez, who hosts the video. "Another way that we could show that we're allies and that we accept everybody is to maybe include our pronouns in our emails or, like we just did, introduce ourselves using our pronouns."