Hegseth orders oil ship USNS Harvey Milk be renamed in pursuit of "warrior ethos"
Pentagon to rename USNS Harvey Milk in pursuit of militarys "warrior ethos"
In a big hit to the LGBTQ+ community across the country and in the Bay Area, the Pentagon plans to wipe away gay rights activist and former San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milks name from a U.S. Navy vessel. We hear from the civil rights leader who was also Milks intern, Cleve Jones.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday ordered that a naval oiler ship named for gay rights icon Harvey Milk be renamed.
The news was first published by Military.com, which reported that the order was specifically made by Hegseth, and the timing of the announcement — during Pride month — was intentional, and part of the administration's move toward "reestablishing the warrior ethos."
The USNS Harvey Milk is not a combat vessel, and is part of the John Lewis class of oiler ships named for civil rights leaders. Other vessels in that class include the USNS Earl Warren, USNS Robert F. Kennedy, and the USNS Sojourner Truth.
The Trump administration is reportedly planning to rename other ships, including those named for Thurgood Marshall, Harriet Tubman and Cesar Chavez.
‘Petty’ bullying
The move sparked outrage including from Cleve Jones, civil rights leader and Milk's former intern and friend.
"There are real issues facing this country, but this administration seems intent on just sowing division, causing pain and really being just so petty."
Jones added, whether Milk's name is on a ship or not, his legacy will always live on.
"Nothing, no one in this administration can erase who he was," said Jones. "What he did and what he means to not only LGBTQ people but all sorts of people around the world, who believe in civil rights."
The person who now represents Milk's district, San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, said the move was cruel and intended to cause harm during Pride month.
"Donald Trump has put the worst people from high school in charge of important public agencies," said Mandelman. "They are bullies, they’re looking for bullying things to do."
SkyFOX above USNS Harvey Milk in San Francisco, March 28, 2024.
USNS Harvey Milk
The backstory:
The USNS Harvey Milk was christened in November 2021. The ship was co-sponsored by then-Senator Diane Feinstein, who served as president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors during Harvey Milk's term in office.
Milk enlisted in the Navy in 1951 and served as a diving officer during the Korean War. He left the service in 1955 with a "less than honorable discharge" after he was questioned about his sexuality.
Milk was the first openly gay man elected to office, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. During his time in office, he enacted legislation to protect the gay community, including a 1978 ordinance to ban discrimination against the LGBTQ community in housing and employment.
He was assassinated in 1978 by former supervisor Dan White, who was sentenced to seven years for the crime.
SF Pride director reacts to Hegseth renaming USNS Harvey Milk
Executive Director of SF Pride, Suzanne Ford, reacts to the Secretary of Defense ordering the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk during Pride month. Ford says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseths reasoning is to go back to a warrior mentality, but she argues gay icons like Milk were warriors.
A campaign
Big picture view:
This is not the first time Hegseth, a former co-host of Fox and Friends and veteran of the Minnesota National Guard, has moved to rename a military asset.
He made headlines in February for renaming North Carolina's Fort Liberty as Fort Bragg, the name it has carried since it was established in 2018. The original name was a reference to Confederate General Braxton Bragg, whom historians have called one of the worst generals of the civil war.
The fort was renamed in 2022 after Congress determined that individuals who sided with the Confederate Army to fight against the United States were unworthy of being namesakes.
Hegseth renamed the installation as Fort Bragg, but his order said the name pays tribute to Pfc. Roland Bragg, a recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his actions during the Battle of the Bulge in World War 2.
More reaction
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi posted her reaction to social media saying in part, "Our military is the most powerful in the world – but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the "warrior" ethos.
She said the reported decision to rename this ship and others in the John Lewis class is, "a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream."
Gov. Gavin Newsom said, "Donald Trump's assault on veterans has hit a new low." He added that stripping Milk's name from the 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."
The Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club was also among the many to react to this development.
"Harvey Milk’s legacy will live on with or without a military ship bearing his name, but the Trump administration’s decision to remove his name from the USNS Harvey Milk clearly shows why we cannot give an inch on LGBTQ rights to this or any other far right government: they will not stop until they erase us. We won’t let them," their statement read in part.
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) condemned the defense secretary's decision. He said Milk's legacy would not be erased by the Trump administration. He called the move part of "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." He added, "Price Month is a time for celebrating and honoring the LGBTQ+ community. Attempting to rename the USNS Harvey Milk only deepens the divides Trump has forged across our country."
State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) called the move "absolutely shameful."
"Harvey Milk was a hero. He was a veteran who served our country. He died for our community," Wiener said in a statement. "Brave LGBTQ veterans worked for years to achieve the naming of a ship for Harvey. Now Trump and Hegseth are wiping it away due to straight-up bigotry. They're determined to erase LGBTQ people from all aspects of public life."
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