Hegseth orders renaming of ship named after gay rights icon Harvey Milk

signalmankenneth

Verified User
This Anti-DEI bullshit in our military is getting out of hand now?!!:mad:

CNN —
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered the secretary of the Navy to rename the oiler ship USNS Harvey Milk, according to a defense official.

The ship, which was launched in 2021 and named after the gay rights activist and Navy veteran, who was made to resign from the force because of his sexual orientation, is set to be officially renamed later this month, the official said. It is not clear what the new name will be, but the timing is notable given that June is Pride Month.

Military.com first reported the expected name change.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.

It is rare for a ship to be renamed, and it has not happened on the orders of a defense secretary in recent memory.

The last time a ship was renamed in 2023, the move was based upon the recommendation of a congressional commission established to review names across the military with ties to the Confederacy. As a result of the study, the Navy decided to rename the cruiser USS Chancellorsville and research ship USNS Maury.

The USNS Harvey Milk is part of the John Lewis class of oiler ships that are named after civil rights leaders. Other ships in this class include the USNS Earl Warren, USNS Robert F. Kennedy, USNS Lucy Stone and USNS Sojourner Truth.

The USNS Harvey Milk is part of the John Lewis class of oiler ships that are named after civil rights leaders. Other ships in this class include the USNS Earl Warren, USNS Robert F. Kennedy, USNS Lucy Stone and USNS Sojourner Truth.

The move is in line with Hegseth’s focus on reestablishing a “warrior culture” across the military, which he has mainly tried to do by eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs and content throughout the Defense Department and finding creative ways to revert military bases back to their original, Confederate-linked names.

Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell issued a statement saying decisions to rename any vessels would be announced when internal reviews are complete.

“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. Any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete,” Parnell said.

In a statement, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said that “the reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream. Our military is the most powerful in the world – but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the ‘warrior’ ethos. Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.”


Who was Harvey Milk?​

At the time the ship was launched, the Biden administration had a very different stance on diversity.

“He made a difference. That’s the kind of naval leader that we need,” then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said of Milk during the christening ceremony in November 2021.

The ship was co-sponsored by then-Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat who was the president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors when Milk served on the board. She publicly announced Milk’s assassination in 1978 at the age of 48. Milk was one of the first out gay politicians elected to office in the United States, and the first out gay official elected in California.

Milk served in the Navy as a diving officer during the Korean War, at a time when gay service members were not allowed to openly acknowledge their sexuality.

During his time as a diving instructor in San Diego in the 1950s, his supervisors caught him at a park popular with gay men, according to his nephew Stuart Milk.

In 1955, after the Navy officially questioned Milk about his sexual orientation, he was made to resign with the rank of lieutenant junior grade.

After moving from New York to California, Milk helped start the Castro Village Association, one of the first predominantly LGBTQ-owned business groups in the country. In 1977, he was elected to San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors.

While serving as a city supervisor, Milk introduced legislation to protect the gay community, including a gay rights ordinance in 1978 to ban discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing or employment. He and other activists also succeeded in striking down Proposition 6, which would have mandated the firing of gay or lesbian teachers in California.

Less than a year after Milk was inaugurated as city supervisor, he and Mayor George Moscone were shot to death in the San Francisco City Hall by a former fellow city supervisor over a job dispute.

When his killer was sentenced to seven years, riots broke out over what many perceived to be a lenient sentence.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/03/politics/hegseth-orders-renaming-ship-named-harvey-milk

1748997875340.png
 
This Anti-DEI bullshit in our military is getting out of hand now?!!:mad:

CNN —
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered the secretary of the Navy to rename the oiler ship USNS Harvey Milk, according to a defense official.

The ship, which was launched in 2021 and named after the gay rights activist and Navy veteran, who was made to resign from the force because of his sexual orientation, is set to be officially renamed later this month, the official said. It is not clear what the new name will be, but the timing is notable given that June is Pride Month.

Military.com first reported the expected name change.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.

It is rare for a ship to be renamed, and it has not happened on the orders of a defense secretary in recent memory.

The last time a ship was renamed in 2023, the move was based upon the recommendation of a congressional commission established to review names across the military with ties to the Confederacy. As a result of the study, the Navy decided to rename the cruiser USS Chancellorsville and research ship USNS Maury.

The USNS Harvey Milk is part of the John Lewis class of oiler ships that are named after civil rights leaders. Other ships in this class include the USNS Earl Warren, USNS Robert F. Kennedy, USNS Lucy Stone and USNS Sojourner Truth.

The USNS Harvey Milk is part of the John Lewis class of oiler ships that are named after civil rights leaders. Other ships in this class include the USNS Earl Warren, USNS Robert F. Kennedy, USNS Lucy Stone and USNS Sojourner Truth.

The move is in line with Hegseth’s focus on reestablishing a “warrior culture” across the military, which he has mainly tried to do by eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs and content throughout the Defense Department and finding creative ways to revert military bases back to their original, Confederate-linked names.

Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell issued a statement saying decisions to rename any vessels would be announced when internal reviews are complete.

“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. Any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete,” Parnell said.

In a statement, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said that “the reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream. Our military is the most powerful in the world – but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the ‘warrior’ ethos. Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.”


Who was Harvey Milk?​

At the time the ship was launched, the Biden administration had a very different stance on diversity.

“He made a difference. That’s the kind of naval leader that we need,” then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said of Milk during the christening ceremony in November 2021.

The ship was co-sponsored by then-Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat who was the president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors when Milk served on the board. She publicly announced Milk’s assassination in 1978 at the age of 48. Milk was one of the first out gay politicians elected to office in the United States, and the first out gay official elected in California.

Milk served in the Navy as a diving officer during the Korean War, at a time when gay service members were not allowed to openly acknowledge their sexuality.

During his time as a diving instructor in San Diego in the 1950s, his supervisors caught him at a park popular with gay men, according to his nephew Stuart Milk.

In 1955, after the Navy officially questioned Milk about his sexual orientation, he was made to resign with the rank of lieutenant junior grade.

After moving from New York to California, Milk helped start the Castro Village Association, one of the first predominantly LGBTQ-owned business groups in the country. In 1977, he was elected to San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors.

While serving as a city supervisor, Milk introduced legislation to protect the gay community, including a gay rights ordinance in 1978 to ban discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing or employment. He and other activists also succeeded in striking down Proposition 6, which would have mandated the firing of gay or lesbian teachers in California.

Less than a year after Milk was inaugurated as city supervisor, he and Mayor George Moscone were shot to death in the San Francisco City Hall by a former fellow city supervisor over a job dispute.

When his killer was sentenced to seven years, riots broke out over what many perceived to be a lenient sentence.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/03/politics/hegseth-orders-renaming-ship-named-harvey-milk

View attachment 51728
Fuck you asshole. You supported the assassination of your president so, fuck you!
 
To the extent that I watch the Trump Administration do things that almost all of MAGA complains about the Death Cult doing.....renaming and punishing speech the Regime does not like being two.....I Object.
 
This Anti-DEI bullshit in our military is getting out of hand now?!!:mad:

CNN —
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered the secretary of the Navy to rename the oiler ship USNS Harvey Milk, according to a defense official.

The ship, which was launched in 2021 and named after the gay rights activist and Navy veteran, who was made to resign from the force because of his sexual orientation, is set to be officially renamed later this month, the official said. It is not clear what the new name will be, but the timing is notable given that June is Pride Month.

Military.com first reported the expected name change.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.

It is rare for a ship to be renamed, and it has not happened on the orders of a defense secretary in recent memory.

The last time a ship was renamed in 2023, the move was based upon the recommendation of a congressional commission established to review names across the military with ties to the Confederacy. As a result of the study, the Navy decided to rename the cruiser USS Chancellorsville and research ship USNS Maury.

The USNS Harvey Milk is part of the John Lewis class of oiler ships that are named after civil rights leaders. Other ships in this class include the USNS Earl Warren, USNS Robert F. Kennedy, USNS Lucy Stone and USNS Sojourner Truth.

The USNS Harvey Milk is part of the John Lewis class of oiler ships that are named after civil rights leaders. Other ships in this class include the USNS Earl Warren, USNS Robert F. Kennedy, USNS Lucy Stone and USNS Sojourner Truth.

The move is in line with Hegseth’s focus on reestablishing a “warrior culture” across the military, which he has mainly tried to do by eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs and content throughout the Defense Department and finding creative ways to revert military bases back to their original, Confederate-linked names.

Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell issued a statement saying decisions to rename any vessels would be announced when internal reviews are complete.

“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. Any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete,” Parnell said.

In a statement, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said that “the reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream. Our military is the most powerful in the world – but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the ‘warrior’ ethos. Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.”


Who was Harvey Milk?​

At the time the ship was launched, the Biden administration had a very different stance on diversity.

“He made a difference. That’s the kind of naval leader that we need,” then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said of Milk during the christening ceremony in November 2021.

The ship was co-sponsored by then-Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat who was the president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors when Milk served on the board. She publicly announced Milk’s assassination in 1978 at the age of 48. Milk was one of the first out gay politicians elected to office in the United States, and the first out gay official elected in California.

Milk served in the Navy as a diving officer during the Korean War, at a time when gay service members were not allowed to openly acknowledge their sexuality.

During his time as a diving instructor in San Diego in the 1950s, his supervisors caught him at a park popular with gay men, according to his nephew Stuart Milk.

In 1955, after the Navy officially questioned Milk about his sexual orientation, he was made to resign with the rank of lieutenant junior grade.

After moving from New York to California, Milk helped start the Castro Village Association, one of the first predominantly LGBTQ-owned business groups in the country. In 1977, he was elected to San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors.

While serving as a city supervisor, Milk introduced legislation to protect the gay community, including a gay rights ordinance in 1978 to ban discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing or employment. He and other activists also succeeded in striking down Proposition 6, which would have mandated the firing of gay or lesbian teachers in California.

Less than a year after Milk was inaugurated as city supervisor, he and Mayor George Moscone were shot to death in the San Francisco City Hall by a former fellow city supervisor over a job dispute.

When his killer was sentenced to seven years, riots broke out over what many perceived to be a lenient sentence.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/03/politics/hegseth-orders-renaming-ship-named-harvey-milk

View attachment 51728
Trump does what Project 2025 tells him to do. The anti-DEI efforts are both a target of Project 2025 and, IMO, backlash to the Left's destruction of statue, demonizing the South and, like this case, renaming military assets.

If a subject is controversial, such as the destruction of historical statues, then it should be stopped and discussed, not pushed to a conclusion by one side. Doing so will often result in backlash. Project 2025 is that backlash. While white supremacist assholes have been around for centuries, they gain popular support when people feel like something is being jammed down their throats.

FWIW, I think there will be popular backlash against Project 2025 and their supporters too, but just like the movement to rename military bases and tear down statues, it will probably take a few years. Enjoy the ride! LOL

Jan 20, 2025

DEI Under Threat: The Workforce Risks Of Project 2025's Policies

In this third installment of our series examining Project 2025's potential impact on corporate governance, finance, and human capital, we delve into the initiative's targeted dismantling of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Understanding these proposed changes is crucial for preparing and safeguarding the workforce of tomorrow.

Project 2025: A Dangerous Blueprint For Eliminating DEI​

Project 2025, spearheaded by The Heritage Foundation, outlines a comprehensive plan to reshape the federal government's approach to DEI initiatives. The project proposes the following key actions:
  • Eradication of DEI Programs in Federal Agencies: The initiative aims to dismantle DEI initiatives within federal agencies, viewing them as ideologically driven and counterproductive. This includes eliminating offices, staff positions, and training programs dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion.
  • Influencing Private Sector Policies: Project 2025 proposes that the Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecute entities with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, viewing these initiatives as discriminatory against white individuals. The plan suggests that the DOJ's Civil Rights Division should investigate and prosecute state and local governments, educational institutions, corporations, and other private employers engaged in DEI practices, framing them as violations of constitutional and legal standards. Specifically, there is a plan to “gut women’s rights in the workplace and classroom” according to Ms. Magazine.
 
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