Key Takeaways:
- The U.S. Navy is renaming the USNS Harvey Milk, a ship honoring one of the first openly gay elected officials, without providing a reason.
- The move aligns with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s directive to eliminate cultural observances like Pride Month and rename assets.
- Lawmakers and activists are calling the decision a targeted rollback of LGBTQIA+ recognition in the military — part of a broader culture war under the Trump administration.
According to NBC News, the U.S. Navy confirmed it will rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler named after the LGBTQIA+ rights pioneer and Navy veteran. The decision arrives during Pride Month, a move that critics say sends a troubling message about the erasure of LGBTQIA+ contributions. The Navy did not provide a reason for the renaming.
As the publication explained, Harvey Milk served in the Navy from 1951 to 1955 as an operations officer aboard the USS Chanticleer and the USS Kittiwake. Decades later, he made history in 1977 as one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S., winning a seat on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors. Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated a year later by ex-supervisor Dan White, whose lenient sentence sparked violent protests.
The USNS Harvey Milk, launched in 2021, is part of a class of Navy ships, named after civil rights icons including Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Harriet Tubman and others. Per NBC News and the Navy’s official website, the class as a whole was named after late Congressman John Lewis. Milk’s inclusion was intended to honor both his military service and hiss historic advocacy.
Pentagon directive targets “identity months” and civil rights figures
The vessel’s renaming aligns with recent directives from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth under President Donald Trump. In a statement shared by NBC News, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated, “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.”
In January, Hegseth issued a controversial order titled “Identity Months Dead at DoD,” ending official recognition of LGBTQ Pride Month, Black History Month and others. “Efforts to divide the force — to put one group ahead of another — erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution,” the memo read.
Political leaders condemn USNS Harvey Milk renaming
California Sen. Alex Padilla condemned the move, stating, “Harvey Milk’s legacy will not be erased by Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth’s petty culture wars and attempts to undermine the tremendous contributions and service of the LGBTQ+ community to our country.” Others, including Sen. Chuck Schumer, expressed the same sentiments on social media.
The Navy has yet to announce the ship’s new name. For many, however, the decision represents more than a change of title — it signals a shift in how the Department of Defense views diversity, legacy and inclusion.