In a move stirring controversy amid Pride Month celebrations, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the U.S. Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler named after the pioneering gay rights activist and Navy veteran. The decision, confirmed by multiple sources and first reported by Military.com, is part of a broader effort to realign military asset names with what officials describe as the "warrior culture" priorities of President Donald Trump, Hegseth, and Navy Secretary John Phelan.
The timing of the announcement appears deliberate, coinciding with June 2025's observance of Pride Month, a period dedicated to honoring the LGBTQ+ community's contributions and struggles. According to a memorandum from the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, the renaming aligns with directives to reinforce traditional military values, emphasizing combat readiness and unity over cultural or identity-based recognitions.
The USNS Harvey Milk belongs to the John Lewis-class of replenishment oilers, a series of vessels named after prominent civil rights leaders and activists. This class includes ships honoring figures such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sojourner Truth, John Lewis, Thurgood Marshall, Harriet Tubman, Dolores Huerta, Lucy Stone, Cesar Chavez, and Medgar Evers. Documents obtained by CBS News reveal that several of these ships, including the USNS Thurgood Marshall and USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, are also under consideration for renaming.
Harvey Milk's legacy is deeply rooted in American history as one of the first openly gay men elected to public office in the United States. In 1977, he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming a beacon for LGBTQ+ political empowerment. Tragically, Milk was assassinated in 1978 alongside San Francisco Mayor George Moscone by Dan White, a former city supervisor who opposed Milk's progressive policies. Milk's life and activism have been immortalized in popular culture, notably portrayed by Sean Penn in the 2008 Academy Award-winning film "Milk."
Before his political career, Milk served nearly four years in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War era. He held posts as an operations and dive officer aboard the USS Chanticleer and USS Kittiwake. However, his military service ended under a cloud; in 1954, he faced a court-martial for a "homosexual act" and resigned his commission, receiving an "Other Than Honorable" discharge. In 2021, the Navy approached Milk's nephew, Stuart Milk, regarding upgrading this discharge, but Stuart declined, choosing to preserve the historical reality of his uncle's experience.
The USNS Harvey Milk was christened in 2021 and is operated by the Military Sealift Command with about 125 civilian mariners. It has conducted resupply missions off the East Coast and was undergoing scheduled maintenance at the Alabama Shipyard as of early 2025. The ship's renaming is a rare occurrence in Navy tradition, where changing a vessel's name after commissioning is considered unusual and often taboo due to maritime superstitions and customs.
Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell emphasized that 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 added that any renaming decisions would be announced following internal reviews.
The directive to rename the USNS Harvey Milk follows other controversial moves by Hegseth, including a January 2025 order titled "Identity Months Dead at DoD," which banned official Pentagon and military service events tied to heritage and awareness months such as Pride Month, Black History Month, and Women's History Month. Hegseth argued that such programs threaten military unity and mission execution by dividing the force.
Earlier in 2025, Hegseth also reversed congressionally mandated renamings of military bases that had removed Confederate names. Fort Liberty in North Carolina reverted to Fort Bragg, honoring World War II veteran Pfc. Roland L. Bragg instead of the Confederate general. Similarly, Fort Moore was renamed Fort Benning. These actions reflect a broader agenda to reshape military symbols and honors to align with a traditional warrior narrative.
The renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk has drawn sharp criticism from political leaders and civil rights advocates. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who represents San Francisco, condemned the decision as a "shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American dream." Pelosi underscored that honoring civil and human rights leaders brings "luster to these ships," reflecting the nation's values and history.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries described the move as "an utter abomination in terms of the extreme MAGA Republican effort to continue to erase American history," vowing opposition to the renamings. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Secretary Hegseth to "reverse this immediately," highlighting the political tensions surrounding the issue.
The Navy's consideration of renaming other John Lewis-class ships named for civil rights icons further fuels concerns about erasing significant chapters of American history. Notably, some of these vessels have yet to be completed, raising questions about the motivations behind such changes.
Historically, the Navy has rarely renamed ships after commissioning. The most recent exceptions occurred in 2023, when the guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville and the oceanographic survey ship USNS Maury were renamed USS Robert Smalls and USNS Marie Tharp, respectively, to remove Confederate associations. Those changes were recommended by a congressionally mandated commission and widely seen as efforts to reconcile historical injustices.
The USNS Harvey Milk's original naming in 2016 by then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus was hailed as a milestone in recognizing the contributions of LGBTQ+ service members and civil rights leaders. At the 2021 christening, then-Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro expressed a commitment to "amend the wrongs of the past" and inspire LGBTQ community leaders serving in uniform and civilian roles.
As the Navy prepares to announce the new name for the vessel, expected to be revealed aboard the historic USS Constitution, the debate over military naming conventions reflects broader societal conflicts over history, identity, and values. Will this renaming mark a new chapter in military tradition or deepen divisions over representation and inclusion? The answer remains to be seen.
