Washington, D.C. – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the U.S. Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a replenishment oiler honoring the slain gay rights activist and Navy veteran, in a move set to coincide with Pride Month, according to Military.com. The decision, confirmed by ABC News on June 4, 2025, has sparked outrage from LGBTQ+ advocates and Democrats, who call it a deliberate attack on diversity, while supporters argue it aligns with President Donald Trump’s push to restore a “warrior culture” in the military. The provocative timing raises questions about the administration’s priorities and its impact on national unity.
Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S., served as a San Francisco supervisor in 1977 before his assassination in 1978. A Korean War Navy veteran, Milk was discharged in 1955 after being questioned about his sexual orientation, per the Harvey Milk Foundation. Named in 2016 by then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, the USNS Harvey Milk, a John Lewis-class oiler, symbolizes civil rights progress, with its 2021 christening celebrated as amends for past wrongs, per NPR. Hegseth’s order, detailed in a Navy memorandum, cites alignment with Trump’s objectives, though no new name has been announced.
The intentional timing during Pride Month, when WorldPride unfolds in Washington, D.C., has drawn sharp criticism. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it a “shameful, vindictive erasure” of Milk’s legacy, arguing it weakens national security by undermining inclusivity, per CBS News. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded Hegseth reverse the decision, labeling it “disgusting discrimination.” The Harvey Milk Foundation’s Stuart Milk expressed heartbreak, noting the pride of sailors aboard the ship, per ABC7 San Francisco. Critics, including VoteVets, decry the move as an insult to LGBTQ+ troops, per Newsweek.
Hegseth’s defenders, including Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, assert the renaming reflects Trump’s focus on military readiness and historical values, per The Washington Post. The order follows Hegseth’s broader anti-DEI campaign, including banning heritage month events like Pride and removing diversity content from military websites, per POLITICO. CBS News reports other John Lewis-class ships, named for figures like Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall, may also face renaming, signaling a potential purge of civil rights icons from Navy vessels.
The rare renaming—taboo in Navy tradition—echoes Hegseth’s reversals of Biden-era changes, like restoring Confederate-linked base names, per Forbes. While the Biden administration renamed ships with Confederate ties in 2023, Hegseth’s move lacks a congressional mandate, raising legal questions, per The Guardian. The USNS Harvey Milk, currently in maintenance in Alabama, faces an uncertain future as Navy Secretary John Phelan prepares a new name for a June 13 announcement aboard the USS Constitution, per Military.com.
As Pride Month unfolds, the decision tests America’s commitment to honoring diverse legacies. Was this the change voters envisioned?
