Topline
A Navy ship honoring gay rights activist Harvey Milk will soon have his name stricken from it under an order made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—a decision, according to one report, deliberately meant to coincide with Pride month.
The USNS Harvey Milk was launched in 2021. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Key Facts
The USNS Harvey Milk, a replenishment oiler, will have its name stripped, according to ABC News, which cited an unnamed defense official who said the timing of Hegseth’s order, which was made during Pride month, was intentional.
It is unclear what the ship’s new name will be, Military.com reported, citing a memorandum from the Office of the Secretary of the Navy.
The USNS Harvey Milk is one of several ships being considered for renaming alongside the USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Lucy Stone, USNS Cesar Chavez and USNS Medgar Evers, CBS News reported.
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Crucial Quote
“Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief’s priorities, our nation’s history, and the warrior ethos,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell told Forbes in an email. “Any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete.”
Who Was Harvey Milk?
Milk was a human rights activist and Navy veteran who became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S. in the late 1970s, when he secured a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk, who saw action during the Korean War, served as an operations officer on the USS Chanticleer rescue submarine and the USS Kittiwake rescue submarine. He later resigned from the Navy and accepted an “other than honorable” discharge after he was questioned about his sexual orientation. Milk was a staunch LGBTQ+ advocate before his time in office and was a key figure in San Francisco’s Castro District. He was assassinated less than a year after taking office.
Key Background
Hegseth has renamed or called for the renaming of other military assets since taking office this year. In March, he renamed Fort Moore, which honored Vietnam War veteran Army Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, back to its original name of Fort Benning, which was named after the Confederate general Henry Benning in the 1920s. Hegseth worked around a law barring military honors for Confederate generals by naming the military base after World War I Army soldier Corporal Fred G. Benning. Prior to taking office, Hegseth repeatedly bashed the striking of base names honoring Confederate figures, saying the re-namings were “a sham,” and “crap,” according to CNN, which cited public appearances made by Hegseth last year.
Further Reading
Hegseth Renames Fort Moore Back To Fort Benning—Latest Rollback Of Military Base Name Changes (Forbes)
