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A veterans group has accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of a "deliberate insult to LGBTQ" troops by renaming a ship carrying the name of the prominent gay rights activist and Navy veteran Harvey Milk. The order to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a replenishment oiler, was issued in a memorandum from the office of the Secretary of the Navy, according to CBS News. "At the start of Pride Month, Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to strip Harvey Milk's name from a ship," VoteVotes, a progressive veterans activist group, posted to X, formerly Twitter.
"A man who served with honor—erased to send a message. This is a deliberate insult to LGBTQ Troops and Americans that weakens our force and shreds the values we fight for." Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement to Newsweek: "Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD [Department of Defense] installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos.
Any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete." File photo: Harvey Milk sits in the San Francisco mayor’s office during the 1977 signing of the city’s gay rights bill. File photo: Harvey Milk sits in the San Francisco mayor’s office during the 1977 signing of the city’s gay rights bill.
(AP Photo Why It Matters Milk was one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States and a pioneering figure in the LGBTQ+ rights movement. He served for four years in the Navy during the Korean War, before he was forced out for being gay. In 1977, Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man elected to public office in California.
He championed civil rights legislation and LGBTQ+ advocacy during his brief but impactful time in office. Milk was assassinated in November 1978, just 11 months into his term. In recognition of his legacy, the U.S. Navy named a ship—the USNS Harvey Milk—in his honor in 2016.
He was also posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 by then-President Barack Obama for his contributions to equality and human rights The renaming of the ship marks the latest move by Hegseth and the wider Trump administration to purge departments of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. File photo: Protesters on steps of San Francisco City Hall in 1979 after Dan White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the killings of George Moscone and Harvey Milk. File photo: Protesters on steps of San Francisco City Hall in 1979 after Dan White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the killings of George Moscone and Harvey Milk.
AP Photo/Paul Sakuma What To Know The Navy memorandum states that the renaming of the vessel was to ensure "alignment with president and SECDEF objectives and SECNAV priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture," according to CBS News. The documents also show that other Navy vessels named after prominent American figures are on a "recommended list" to be renamed. These include USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Lucy Stone, USNS Cesar Chavez and USNS Medgar Evers.
In April, Hegseth removed nearly 400 books from the Naval Academy library, citing anti-DEI measures. He called for the removal of books such as How To Be an Antiracist, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States. Trump also signed an executive order in January banning transgender people from serving in the military.
The president's order declared that identifying as transgender "conflicts with a soldier's commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle." The USNS "Harvey Milk," a Navy replenishment oiler, stands in dock. The USNS "Harvey Milk," a Navy replenishment oiler, stands in dock.
Alex Gallardo/AP Photo What People Are Saying Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X: "Erasing Harvey Milk's name is disgusting, blatant discrimination—and during Pride Month to boot. He served the U.S. Navy and his country honorably, and he was assassinated while serving the public and fighting for LGBTQ+ rights. Hegseth should be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately."
Nancy Pelosi said in a statement: "The reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American dream. Our military is the most powerful in the world—but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the "warrior" ethos. Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country."
What Happens Next Hegseth is reportedly looking to rename several other ships named after civil rights leaders. Update 6:50 a.m. ET: This story was updated to include comment from Chief Pentagon Spokesman, Sean Parnell.
