The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegesh, ordered the Navy to hit the name of the pioneer activist of the Harvey Milk homosexuals of one of his ships, orchestrating the change as celebrations of the month of pride.
A defense official said that the moment of the decision was intentional.
The guests go through the USNS Harvey Milk in general Dynamics Nassco Shipyard during the baptism and launch ceremony for the ship in San Diego, California, on November 6, 2021.
Ariana Drehsler/AFP through Getty Images
The order was first reported by Military.com and confirmed by ABC News.
Milk was one of the first openly homosexual men chosen for a public office in the United States after winning a seat at the San Francisco Supervisors Board in 1977. He was killed a year later.
Before serving in a public office, Milk in 1951 was enlisted in La Marina and attended the school of candidates for the officer in Rhode Island.
Then he was a Marine diving instructor in San Diego, but resigned in 1955 “after being officially questioned about his sexual orientation,” according to the Harvey Milk Foundation.
Both his mother and his father also served in the United States Navy in World War I.
The USNS Harvey Milk is one of several ships that are named after leading leaders and civil rights activists. A new name has not been announced.
Harvey Milk, an openly gay member of the San Francisco Supervisors Board, is outside its camera shop in San Francisco, November 9, 1977.
Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Before his death, Milk was attributed to his friend and artist Gilbert Baker, an American army veteran to create the pride flag. The milk was played by Sean Penn in the 2008 “Milk” biographical film.
Hegseth and the Secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, did not immediately respond to ABC News comments.
