High-ranking US Navy Official Supports Non-binary Sailor amidst Republican Backlash
The leading US Navy official vehemently stood up for a non-binary sailor on Tuesday, amidst criticism from some Republican politicians, expressing his profound pride in the sailor. The sailor in question, LTJG Audrey Knutson, had their personal narrative featured on the Navy's Instagram page the previous week. Knutson expressed pride in their service as a non-binary individual, noting that their grandfather, a gay man, had also served in the Navy during World War II. During a recent deployment on aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, Knutson recited a poem during an LGBTQ spoken word event, a moment they consider a highlight of their service. The video on Instagram received nearly 17,000 likes.
Following the post, Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, tweeted a portion of the video, criticizing the Navy's focus. On Tuesday, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, joined in the criticism during a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting.
However, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday backed the sailor, underlining that the responsibility of a commanding officer is to forge a combat-ready team. Gilday expressed his personal pride in Knutson, acknowledging her service despite the ostracism her gay grandfather faced during his own service. Gilday used female pronouns for Knutson, though the Navy confirmed Knutson prefers non-binary pronouns.
Gilday emphasized the importance of diversity and respect in building a cohesive combat team, asserting that anyone lawfully allowed to join the Navy who is willing to serve and risk their life should be respected and accepted.
Some Republican politicians have accused the military of being overly progressive or "woke," suggesting this is harming recruitment. However, a recent Army survey indicated that only 5% of potential recruits expressed concern about this issue.
Last month, Republican Rep. Cory Mills and others criticized the Department of Defense's diversity, equity, and inclusion training during a House Armed Services Subcommittee meeting on military personnel. In response, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Gil Cisneros noted such training has been part of the military for decades.
At a separate hearing in early March, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston emphasized that the military remains focused on combat effectiveness, even with additional diversity and inclusion training. He highlighted that basic training includes one hour of equal opportunity training compared to 92 hours of rifle marksmanship training.