Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reportedly mulling a massive renaming spree for naval vessels honoring gay and civil rights icons just in time for Pride Month.
Documents obtained by Military.com and CBS News revealed that Hegseth ordered Navy Secretary John Phelan to select a new name for USNS Harvey Milk, named after a gay rights leader and Navy veteran, on Tuesday.
The memo reportedly indicated that the renaming is aimed at aligning with Hegseth and President Donald Trump’s objective of “reestablishing the warrior culture.” A Defense official told Military.com that the move was intentionally scheduled to coincide with Pride Month, which is celebrated every June.
CBS further reported that other ships on the “recommended list” for renaming included vessels named after civil rights icons Thurgood Marshall, Cesar Chavez, and Medgar Evers; abolitionist Harriet Tubman; labor leader Dolores Huerta; and suffragist Lucy Stone.
The renaming is scheduled to be publicized on June 13, according to the memo. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told The Daily Beast in a statement that any potential renaming would only be announced after internal reviews are completed.
“Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief’s priorities, our nation’s history, and the warrior ethos,” he said.
The ship renaming spree marks the latest salvo in Trump and Hegseth’s campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the military in a bid to “restore the warrior ethos.”
In March, the Defense Department briefly deleted a webpage about legendary Black baseball player Jackie Robinson. A month later, the National Park Service similarly deleted, then restored, an image and quote of Tubman on its Underground Railroad webpage. Hegseth also renamed two military bases earlier this year.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi slammed the “shameful, vindictive erasure” in a scathing statement.
“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. “As the rest of us are celebrating the joy of Pride Month, it is my hope that the Navy will reconsider this egregious decision and continue to recognize the extraordinary contributions of Harvey Milk, a veteran himself, and all Americans who forged historic progress for our nation.”
Pride Month is celebrated every June to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising of 1969, which helped spearhead the gay liberation movement.
Milk was a prominent gay activist in the 1970s and the first openly gay elected U.S. official, earning a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in ‘77 before his assassination the following year.
Milk also served in the Navy in the ‘50s, acting as a diving officer on submarine rescue ships during the Korean War, according to the National Archives.
But Milk was discovered participating in a “homosexual act” and forced to choose between resigning from the Navy without any military benefits or being court-martialed. He ultimately decided to resign.
Milk left an undeniable impact on the gay rights movement. In 2009, Sean Penn took home the Oscar for Best Actor for his interpretation of the prominent activist in Gus Van Sant’s biopic Milk.
The Navy’s replenishment oiler was christened USNS Harvey Milk in 2021 by then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.
“Tomorrow we christen the future USNS Harvey Milk,” Del Toro said at the time. “Leaders like Harvey Milk taught us that diversity of backgrounds and experiences help contribute to the strength and resolve of our nation.”
“There is no doubt that the future Sailors aboard this ship will be inspired by Milk’s life and legacy,” he concluded.
