Hegseth Orders Navy to Strip Gay Rights ‘Activist’ Harvey Milk Name From U.S. Warship [WATCH]

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the U.S. Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a replenishment oiler named in honor of the late gay rights activist, former Navy officer and widely accused pedophile.

Pete Hegseth to remove Harvey Milk’s name from a U.S. Naval ship.

Harvey Milk was a known child predator who had a romantic relationship with a 16-year-old.

Of course the Democrats are furious that a ped*phile’s name is no longer being honored. pic.twitter.com/tkTOHWM6Zd

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 4, 2025

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The move has sparked widespread media reaction as the Department of Defense reexamines the naming of military assets under a renewed focus on military tradition and combat readiness.

A memorandum from the Office of the Secretary of the Navy confirms that the service has begun formal preparations to implement the name change.

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The document states the renaming aligns with “president and SECDEF objectives and SECNAV priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture.”

The official renaming ceremony is scheduled for June 13 and will take place aboard the USS Constitution, the Navy’s oldest commissioned warship, currently docked in Boston.

Secretary Hegseth and Navy Secretary James P. Phelan are expected to speak at the event. A new name for the vessel has not yet been released.

The USNS Harvey Milk was originally named in 2016 by then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.

Harvey Milk was a moIester who preyed on teen boys. At least one victim of his kiIIed himself.

Dems named a naval ship after him. pic.twitter.com/EpTBggmTuv

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 4, 2025

Milk, who became one of the first openly gay elected officials in U.S. history when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the 1970s, was assassinated in 1978 along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone.

Milk previously served in the U.S. Navy as a diving officer aboard the USS Kittiwake during the Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1955 as a lieutenant junior grade.

The Harvey Milk is one of several Navy support ships named after civil rights leaders and historical figures, part of a broader policy shift during the Obama and Biden-Harris administrations to highlight diversity and social progress within the military’s legacy.

This Harvey Milk? pic.twitter.com/2qSIii3Z8g

— John Birch Society (@The_JBS) June 4, 2025

Renaming Navy ships is a rare action in U.S. military history.

However, the practice has seen renewed attention in recent years.

In 2023, the Department of Defense under Joe Biden approved the renaming of the cruiser USS Chancellorsville and the oceanographic survey ship USNS Maury, citing their ties to Confederate history.

Those decisions were made following recommendations from the Department’s Naming Commission.

Secretary Hegseth, confirmed earlier this year, has signaled a shift away from politically driven naming policies and toward a return to tradition and combat heritage.

The renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk follows similar actions already undertaken under Hegseth’s leadership.

In one high-profile change earlier this year, Fort Liberty in North Carolina was restored to its original name, Fort Bragg.

The Army installation had been renamed in 2023 by the Biden-Harris administration after Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II Silver Star recipient. Prior to that, it had honored Confederate General Braxton Bragg.

The reversion was part of a broader Defense Department review initiated by Hegseth focused on reinstating historically rooted designations.

Defense officials say more announcements may follow as Secretary Hegseth continues to review the names of military installations and vessels introduced over the past decade.

The Department of the Navy has not yet announced a timeline for repainting or rebranding the USNS Harvey Milk, but the official renaming event on June 13 is expected to mark the formal start of that process.

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