Reports indicate that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the USNS Harvey Milk to be renamed.
The Navy has reportedly been instructed to change the name of the USNS Harvey Milk, an oiler named after the assassinated gay rights advocate and Navy veteran. This directive is said to be part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) references from the military.
While not officially confirmed, the renaming was detailed in an internal memo, according to multiple defense officials who spoke to Military.com and other US media outlets on Tuesday.
The USNS Harvey Milk was named in 2016 by then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus to honor Milk’s service and activism. It was christened in 2021 by a transgender veteran.
Harvey Milk, a symbol for the LGBT community as California’s first openly gay elected official, served in the Navy in the 1950s before being discharged due to his sexuality. He was assassinated in 1978, less than a year after being elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, by a fellow board member following disagreements over city policy.
The renaming is in line with the Trump administration’s push to restore a “warrior culture” and remove DEI initiatives from federal agencies. Officials, remaining anonymous to discuss internal matters, stated that the new name for the ship has not yet been selected.
The decision, coinciding with Pride Month, has sparked strong criticism from Democrats. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described the move as a “shameful, vindictive erasure” of civil rights figures’ legacies. California Governor Gavin Newsom also condemned the decision as evidence of “Trump’s contempt for the very values our veterans fight to protect.”
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