US Navy Strips Harvey Milk Name from Ship, Igniting LGBTQ+ Rights Firestorm
US Navy Strips Harvey Milk Name from Ship, Igniting LGBTQ+ Rights Firestorm
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has formally announced the renaming of the US Navy supply vessel previously honoring gay rights icon Harvey Milk. The ship will now be named after Oscar V Peterson, a Chief Petty Officer awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor in the Battle of the Coral Sea during World War II.
Hegseth stated the move aims to “take the politics out of ship naming,” asserting that the new name honors a Medal of Honor recipient rather than a “political activist.” This decision, announced on Friday and initially reported in early June, aligns with a broader pushback against LGBTQ+ rights and issues under the current administration.
The vessel was originally named in 2016 after Harvey Milk, a pioneering San Francisco gay rights activist and city supervisor who was murdered in 1978. Milk had served in the Navy but received an “other than honorable” discharge due to his homosexuality. Oscar V Peterson, conversely, is celebrated for his heroism aboard the USS Neosho, where he sustained severe burns while saving the ship during a 1942 Japanese bombing raid.
The renaming has triggered immediate and widespread condemnation from LGBTQ+ advocates, Milk’s family, and prominent elected officials. Critics, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Governor Gavin Newsom, denounce the action as a “cowardly act” and an attempt to erase the contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals, calling it an insult to fundamental American values and veterans.
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