Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered renaming a ship named after the gay rights icon Harvey Milk.
The move was first reported by Military.com, which gained access to a memorandum confirming the plans to rename the vessel.
Their report states:
Military.com reviewed a memorandum from the Office of the Secretary of the Navy — the official who holds the power to name Navy ships — that showed the sea service had come up with rollout plans for the renaming of the oiler ship USNS Harvey Milk.
A defense official confirmed that the Navy was making preparations to strip the ship of its name but noted that Navy Secretary John Phelan was ordered to do so by Hegseth.
The official also said that the timing of the announcement — occurring during Pride month — was intentional.
…However, the memo reviewed by Military.com noted that the renaming was being done so that there is “alignment with president and SECDEF objectives and SECNAV priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture,” apparently referencing President Donald Trump, Hegseth and Phelan.
The renaming is scheduled to take effect on June 13th, while a new name has yet to be decided upon.
Hegseth’s office has yet to comment on the reports.
Harvey Milk was one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S., serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1977 until his assassination in 1978.
A former Navy officer, he became a prominent local politician focused on gay rights, whose influence helped solidify San Francisco’s status as the gay capital of the world.
Milk was killed by former Supervisor Dan White, who also murdered Mayor George Moscone.
His death led to protests and later elevated him to symbolic status within the LGBT movement.
The move has predictably enraged Democrats, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer describing it as “disgusting, blatant discrimination” against LGBT people.
“Hegseth should be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately,” Schumer wrote.
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… pic.twitter.com/qc6pGh9chE
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 3, 2025
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