OAN Staff James Meyers
7:53 AM – Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the United States Navy to rename multiple naval ships, including one that bears the name of a gay rights activist.
One in particular is the United States Naval Ship (USNS) Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler named after the slain gay rights leader and Navy veteran.
A defense official confirmed that the Navy was preparing to strip the ship of its name but noted that Navy Secretary John Phelan was ordered to do so by the defense secretary. The defense official claimed that Hegseth did it intentionally during Pride month.
However, the memo states that it’s “alignment with president and SECDEF objectives and SECNAV priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture,” referencing President Donald Trump, Hegseth and Phelan.
Milk was one of the first openly gay elected officials in U.S. history during the 1970s, and was killed while serving on the board of supervisors in San Francisco.
The memo also revealed that the renaming will officially take place on June 13th.
The new name for the Naval ship was not given, but Hegseth and Phelan are planning to announce the new name when they board the USS Constitution, which is the oldest commissioned Navy ship.
According to CBS News, the Navy is considering renaming other ships including the USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and USNS Harriet Tubman.
However, the other ships besides Milk that are being considered have yet to be completed.
Democrat Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the possibility “a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream.”
“Our military is the most powerful in the world — but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the ‘warrior’ ethos,” she added. “Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.”
Just before his death, Milk was known for encouraging his friend and artist Gilbert Baker, an Army veteran, to create the Pride flag.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) chimed in, saying “Donald Trump’s assault on veterans has hit a new low.”
“Harvey Milk wasn’t just a civil rights icon — he was a Korean War combat veteran whose commander called him ‘outstanding,'” he added. “Stripping his name from a Navy ship won’t erase his legacy as an American icon, but it does reveal Trump’s contempt for the very values our veterans fight to protect.”
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