Latest news with #HarveyMilk
CNN
20 minutes ago
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- CNN
Abby Phillip on Hegseth erasing civil rights icons from ships: ‘What are we doing here?'
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Secretary of the Navy to rename a naval ship honoring gay rights icon Harvey Milk, according to a defense official. Abby Phillip asks the NewsNight table why the administration is comfortable stripping recognition from women and Black, Brown, and gay Americans -- but is quick to defend Confederate statues and monuments?
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
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- Yahoo
US Navy to rename ship honouring gay rights leader and veteran Harvey Milk
The US Navy plans to remove the name of gay rights leader and Navy veteran Harvey Milk from one of its ships, and may change the titles of other vessels honouring civil rights leaders. The plans were outlined in documents obtained by BBC's US partner CBS News that show a timeline for when the renaming of USNS Harvey Milk would be shared with the public. It comes during Pride Month in June, an annual commemoration of the LGBT community that coincides with the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in 1969. The directive also comes amid a broader movement by the Trump administration to curb programmes that promote diversity and inclusion across federal departments. Sean Parnell, a spokesman for the Pentagon, told CBS on Tuesday that the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk is to realign the US military with the Trump administration's goal of "re-establishing the warrior culture" in the armed forces. The memo calls for Navy Secretary John Phelan to select a new name for the fleet oiler. That name change would then be communicated to other senior US Navy officials after a legal review. It also outlines other vessels recommended for renaming, including the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, named after the late liberal Supreme Court justice, and the USNS Harriet Tubman, named after the American slavery abolitionist. Harvey Milk is known for being the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, winning a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He was assassinated 10 months after he was sworn in. The push to rename the USNS Harvey Milk comes after a directive issued by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this year instructing US military personnel to stop hosting events tied to heritage or awareness months. This directive banned resources and manpower from being used on events like Pride Month, Black History Month and Women's History Month, citing concerns that they would undermine unity in the military. US President Donald Trump also issued executive orders earlier this year that banned diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the government, and that made it official US policy to recognise two sexes, male and female. Supporters of DEI programmes say they address historical underrepresentation and discrimination against certain groups, including racial minorities, but critics say such initiatives are themselves discriminatory. The move to rename the Harvey Milk and other ships has been criticised by prominent Democrats, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. In a statement to CBS, Pelosi called the move a "vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American dream". Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X on Tuesday that Hegseth "should be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately." US federal websites scrub vaccine data and LGBT references Trump signs order restricting gender care for young people Transgender references removed from Stonewall monument website
Yahoo
an hour ago
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- Yahoo
US Navy to rename ship honouring gay rights leader and veteran Harvey Milk
The US Navy plans to remove the name of gay rights leader and Navy veteran Harvey Milk from one of its ships, and may change the titles of other vessels honouring civil rights leaders. The plans were outlined in documents obtained by BBC's US partner CBS News that show a timeline for when the renaming of USNS Harvey Milk would be shared with the public. It comes during Pride Month in June, an annual commemoration of the LGBT community that coincides with the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in 1969. The directive also comes amid a broader movement by the Trump administration to curb programmes that promote diversity and inclusion across federal departments. Sean Parnell, a spokesman for the Pentagon, told CBS on Tuesday that the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk is to realign the US military with the Trump administration's goal of "re-establishing the warrior culture" in the armed forces. The memo calls for Navy Secretary John Phelan to select a new name for the fleet oiler. That name change would then be communicated to other senior US Navy officials after a legal review. It also outlines other vessels recommended for renaming, including the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, named after the late liberal Supreme Court justice, and the USNS Harriet Tubman, named after the American slavery abolitionist. Harvey Milk is known for being the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, winning a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He was assassinated 10 months after he was sworn in. The push to rename the USNS Harvey Milk comes after a directive issued by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this year instructing US military personnel to stop hosting events tied to heritage or awareness months. This directive banned resources and manpower from being used on events like Pride Month, Black History Month and Women's History Month, citing concerns that they would undermine unity in the military. US President Donald Trump also issued executive orders earlier this year that banned diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the government, and that made it official US policy to recognise two sexes, male and female. Supporters of DEI programmes say they address historical underrepresentation and discrimination against certain groups, including racial minorities, but critics say such initiatives are themselves discriminatory. The move to rename the Harvey Milk and other ships has been criticised by prominent Democrats, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. In a statement to CBS, Pelosi called the move a "vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American dream". Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X on Tuesday that Hegseth "should be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately." US federal websites scrub vaccine data and LGBT references Trump signs order restricting gender care for young people Transgender references removed from Stonewall monument website
Yahoo
an hour ago
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- Yahoo
Strip the name of gay rights icon Harvey Milk from a Navy ship? California leaders are furious
California leaders denounced reports Tuesday that the Trump administration is preparing to strip the name of slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk from a naval ship honoring his legacy, calling it a slap in the face for the LGBTQ+ community just as Pride month begins. Milk was elected as a San Francisco supervisor in the 1970s, becoming one of the first out elected officials in the country. After he was assassinated in San Francisco City Hall in 1978, he became an icon of the gay rights movement, with images of his face becoming synonymous with the struggle for gay rights. Milk had served in the Navy before becoming an activist and political figure, and LGBTQ+ advocates and service members fought for years to have his legacy formally recognized by the Navy. The outlet first reported Tuesday afternoon that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, an oiler built in San Diego as part of a series of vessels named for civil rights leaders. It was launched in 2021. The Pentagon would not confirm or deny that the ship would be renamed. In a statement to The Times, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth "is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all [Department of Defense] installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos," and that "any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete." Read more: Navy oiler Harvey Milk launched in San Diego amid cheers and heartache The Pentagon would not say whether such a review had been launched for the USNS Harvey Milk. The Navy referred questions to the Pentagon. The removal of Milk's name would be in line with a broader push by Hegseth and other leaders in the Trump administration to remove formal acknowledgments of queer rights and other programs or messages promoting diversity, equity and inclusion across the federal government. Leaders in California — where Milk is often hailed as a hero — were quick to denounce the idea of stripping his name from the vessel. Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on the social media platform X that Trump's "assault on veterans has hit a new low." Trump and Hegseth have also issued a sweeping ban on transgender people serving in the military. "Harvey Milk wasn't just a civil rights icon — he was a Korean War combat veteran whose commander called him 'outstanding,'" Newsom said. "Stripping his name from a Navy ship won't erase his legacy as an American icon, but it does reveal Trump's contempt for the very values our veterans fight to protect." Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) echoed Newsom with her own comment on X. "Our military is the most powerful in the world — but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the 'warrior' ethos," she wrote. "It is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream." State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who is gay and once represented the same district as Milk on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, said in an interview with The Times that the move was all "part of Trump's systematic campaign to eliminate LGBTQ people from public life." "They want us to go away, to go back in the closet, not to be part of public life," Wiener said. "And we're not going anywhere." After graduating from college, Milk enlisted in the Navy in 1951 and was stationed in San Diego. According to the Harvey Milk Foundation, he resigned at the rank of lieutenant junior grade in 1955 "after being officially questioned about his sexual orientation." He moved to San Francisco in 1972, opened a camera shop on Castro Street and quickly got into politics — rallying the growing local gay community to fight for rights and build strategic alliances with other groups, including organized labor and the city's large Asian and Pacific Islander community. Milk was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1977 and helped lead efforts to defeat a 1978 ballot initiative that would have barred gay and lesbian people from teaching in public schools statewide — a major political win for the LGBTQ+ community. Read more: Newsletter: Essential California: Remembering Harvey Milk in the age of Pete Buttigieg That same year, Milk was assassinated alongside Mayor George Moscone at City Hall by former Supervisor Dan White. His killing cemented his status as an icon of the gay rights movement. Wiener called Milk "an absolute hero" who "died for our community" and deserves the honor of having a naval vessel named after him. "A group of LGBTQ veterans worked for years and years to achieve this goal of naming a ship for Harvey, and to have that taken away so casually, right during Pride month, is heartbreaking and painful," Wiener said. Removing his name would mean more than scrubbing a stenciling off the side of a ship, Wiener said, "especially now with the attacks on our community, and so many young LGBTQ people [seeing] so much negativity towards our community." Milk was a "very visible role model for young queer people, and he gave people hope in a way that hadn't happened before from any high-profile queer leader, and he was murdered because of his visibility and leadership for our community," Wiener said, and for young queer people today "to see the name of a gay man on the side of a military vessel, it's very, very powerful." U.S. officials first announced in 2016 that a ship would be named for Milk, as well as for abolitionist Sojourner Truth, Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, Atty. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy, suffragist Lucy Stone and Rep. John Lewis. At an event marking the start of construction of the ship in 2019, Milk's nephew Stuart Milk said the naming of the ship after his uncle "sends a global message of inclusion" that said not just that the U.S. will "tolerate everyone" but that "we celebrate everyone." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hegseth orders oil ship USNS Harvey Milk be renamed in pursuit of "warrior ethos"
The Brief Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday ordered the USNS Harvey Milk be renamed. The vessel is named for gay rights icon Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978. The move is part of a broader campaign to "return to OAKLAND, Calif. - Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday ordered that a naval oiler ship named for gay rights icon Harvey Milk be renamed. The news was first published by which reported that the order was specifically made by Hegseth, and the timing of the announcement — during Pride month — was intentional, and part of the administration's move toward "reestablishing the warrior ethos." The USNS Harvey Milk is not a combat vessel, and is part of the John Lewis class of oiler ships named for civil rights leaders. Other vessels in that class include the USNS Earl Warren, USNS Robert F. Kennedy, and the USNS Sojourner Truth. State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) called the move "absolutely shameful." "Harvey Milk was a hero. He was a veteran who served our country. He died for our community," Wiener said in a statement. "Brave LGBTQ veterans worked for years to achieve the naming of a ship for Harvey. Now Trump and Hegseth are wiping it away due to straight-up bigotry. They're determined to erase LGBTQ people from all aspects of public life." The backstory The USNS Harvey Milk was christened in November 2021. The ship was co-sponsored by then-Senator Diane Feinstein, who served as president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors during Harvey Milk's term in office. Milk enlisted in the Navy in 1951 and served as a diving officer during the Korean War. He left the service in 1955 with a "less than honorable discharge" after he was questioned about his sexuality. Milk was the first openly gay man elected to office, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. During his time in office, he enacted legislation to protect the gay community, including a 1978 ordinance to ban discrimination against the LGBTQ community in housing and employment. He was assassinated in 1978 by former supervisor Dan White, who was sentenced to seven years for the crime. Big picture view This is not the first time Hegseth, a former co-host of Fox and Friends and veteran of the Minnesota National Guard, has moved to rename a military asset. He made headlines in February for renaming North Carolina's Fort Liberty as Fort Bragg, the name it has carried since it was established in 2018. The original name was a reference to Confederate General Braxton Bragg, whom historians have called one of the worst generals of the civil war. The fort was renamed in 2022 after Congress determined that individuals who sided with the Confederate Army to fight against the United States were unworthy of being namesakes. Hegseth renamed the installation as Fort Bragg, but his order said the name pays tribute to Pfc. Roland Bragg, a recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his actions during the Battle of the Bulge in World War 2. The Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club was among the many to react to this development. "Harvey Milk's legacy will live on with or without a military ship bearing his name, but the Trump administration's decision to remove his name from the USNS Harvey Milk clearly shows why we cannot give an inch on LGBTQ rights to this or any other far right government: they will not stop until they erase us. We won't let them," their statement read in part. U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) condemned the defense secretary's decision. He said Milk's legacy would not be erased by the Trump administration. He called the move part of "Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth's petty culture wars and attempts to undermine the tremendous contributions and service of the LGBTQ+ community to our country." He added, "Price Month is a time for celebrating and honoring the LGBTQ+ community. Attempting to rename the USNS Harvey Milk only deepens the divides Trump has forged across our country."
