Harvey Milk
California leaders are vehemently protesting reports that the Trump administration plans to strip the name of slain gay rights icon Harvey Milk from a U.S. Navy ship, calling the move a direct affront to the LGBTQ+ community, especially as Pride Month begins.
Reports from CBS News and Military.com on Tuesday indicated that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk, an oiler launched in 2021 and part of a series named for civil rights leaders.
The Pentagon has not confirmed or denied the order, with chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stating that Hegseth is “committed to ensuring that the names attached to all [Department of Defense] installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief’s priorities, our nation’s history, and the warrior ethos.” He added that “any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete.”
The reported decision aligns with a broader push by the Trump administration to remove acknowledgments of queer rights and other diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across the federal government.
Harvey Milk, a Korean War Navy veteran, was a groundbreaking figure in the LGBTQ+ rights movement.Elected as a San Francisco supervisor in 1977, he became one of the nation’s first openly gay elected officials before his assassination in 1978.His legacy has since become synonymous with the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. Advocates and service members campaigned for years to have his contributions recognized by the Navy.
California leaders, where Milk remains a revered figure, were quick to condemn the potential renaming.
Governor Gavin Newsom took to X, stating, “Trump’s assault on veterans has hit a new low.” He emphasized Milk’s service as a “Korean War combat veteran whose commander called him ‘outstanding,’” arguing that stripping his name “does reveal Trump’s contempt for the very values our veterans fight to protect.”
Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) echoed Newsom’s sentiment, calling the reported move a “shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream.”
State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who is gay and once represented Milk’s district, described the action as “part of Trump’s systematic campaign to eliminate LGBTQ people from public life.” Wiener highlighted the deep emotional impact of the decision on the LGBTQ+ community, particularly given the years of effort by LGBTQ+ veterans to achieve the ship’s original naming.
While rare, naval ship renamings have occurred, including recently to remove names linked to the Confederacy.Beyond the USNS Harvey Milk, reports suggest the administration is also considering renaming other ships in the “John Lewis-class,” which honor civil rights leaders such as John Lewis, Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Harriet Tubman, and Cesar Chavez.
