Pete Hegseth Renaming Harvey Milk Navy Ship Sparks Fury From Veterans Group
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
VoteVets accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of a "deliberate insult to LGBTQ" troops by renaming a U.S. Navy ship that had carried Harvey Milk's name.
Milk served for four years in the Navy, during the Korean War, before he was forced out for being gay. He later became one of the first openly gay candidates elected to public office and a famed civil rights activist. He was murdered in 1978.
"At the start of Pride Month, Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to strip Harvey Milk's name from a ship," VoteVotes, a progressive veterans activist group, posted to X, formerly Twitter.
"A man who served with honor—erased to send a message. This is a deliberate insult to LGBTQ Troops and Americans that weakens our force and shreds the values we fight for."
The renaming marks the latest move by Hegseth and the wider Trump administration to purge all programs, policies, books, and social media mentions of references to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Hegseth says he is reestablishing the "warrior culture" in America's military.
This is a developing article. Updates to follow.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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