Latest news with #RuthBaderGinsburg
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
US Navy to rename USNS Harvey Milk, named after gay rights leader
The US Navy plans to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet oiler named after the slain gay rights leader and Navy veteran, and is mulling renaming other ships named after civil rights changes were outlined in documents obtained by BBC's US partner CBS News that show a proposed timeline for when the change would be shared with the comes during Pride Month in June, an annual commemoration of the LGBTQ community that coincides with the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in 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 spokesperson 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 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 also outlines other vessels recommended for renaming, including the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, named after the late liberal Supreme Court judge, and the USNS Harriet Tubman, named after the American slavery abolitionist and social rights 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 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 President Donald Trump also issued executive orders earlier this year that banned diversity, equity and inclusion in the government, and that made it official US policy to recognise two sexes, male and female - a move that has been criticised by LGBTQ rights activists for targeting non-binary and transgender 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."
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Secret military plans to rebrand America's Navy ships are revealed
The military is quietly considering a plan to rename a handful of American Navy ships that honored the legacy of icons in the gay rights and civil rights movements. The USNS Harvey Milk, named after a gay rights activist and Navy veteran, is one of the ships in which a change of name is being discussed. Internal US Navy documents seen by CBS News exposed the plans, which have been described as 'shameful and vindictive' by Democrat Nancy Pelosi. '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,' she said. '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.' While the USNS Harvey Milk is the ship most at risk, several others have been placed on a 'recommended list' of name changes, the documents reveal. The USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which is currently under construction and named after the iconic late Supreme Court justice, has also been flagged. Defense Secretary Pete 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' The USNS Harvey Milk, named after a gay rights activist and Navy veteran, is one of the ships in which a change of name is being discussed The USNS Thurgood Marshall, named after tthe Supreme Court's first African-American justice, is on the list, as is the USNS Dolores Huerta, honoring the late labor movement leader. USNS Cesar Chavez, named after Huerta's close associate and fellow labor leader, and the USNS Medgar Evers, for the African American civil rights activist, are also on the list. Rounding out the recommendations are USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Lucy Stone, named in honor of the slave-turned-activist Tubman, and suffragist Stone, who was the first woman in Massachusetts to earn a college degree. The documents describing these proposed changes were marked with a 'CAUTION' note suggesting they would be publicly sensitive. They asked Navy Secretary John Phelan to choose a new name for the USNS Harvey Milk on Tuesday, with a memo to be sent to other senior Navy officials later in the week following a legal review. The reasoning for the change was listed as realigning the US military with the Trump administration's priority of 'reestablishing warrior culture.' The USNS Medgar Evers, for the African American civil rights activist, is also on the list Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, told CBS Defense Secretary Pete 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.' The decision to rename the USNS Harvey Milk coincides with Pride Month, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Harvey Milk was one of America's first openly gay elected officials, serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors after years of activism in the LGBTQ sphere. He was assassinated one year into his term, alongside Mayor George Moscone. Milk had served in the Navy from 1952 to 1954, but was ordered to face a court martial for participating in a 'homosexual act.' In January 1954, he resigned and was handed an 'Other Than Honorable' discharge. In 2021, the USNS Harvey Milk was christened in his honor.
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Navy set to rename USNS Harvey Milk, mulls new names for other ships named for civil rights leaders
Washington — The U.S. Navy plans to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler named after the slain gay rights leader and Navy veteran, and is considering renaming multiple naval ships named after civil rights leaders and prominent American voices, CBS News has learned. Norfolk Va., (Sept. 24, 2024) — Civil Service Mariners (CIVMARS) aboard Military Sealift Command's (MSC) fleet replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206) completed their first replenishment-at-sea (RAS) with two Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) vessels. LaShawn Sykes U.S. Navy documents obtained by CBS News and used to brief the secretary of the Navy and his chief of staff show proposed timelines for rolling out the name change of the USNS Harvey Milk to the public. While the documents do not say what the ship's new name would be, the proposal comes during Pride Month, the monthlong observance of the LGBTQ+ community that also coincides with the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising of 1969. WorldPride celebrations are being held in Washington, D.C., this year. The documents obtained by CBS News also show other vessels named after prominent leaders are also on the Navy's renaming "recommended list." Among them are the USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Lucy Stone, USNS Cesar Chavez and USNS Medgar Evers. CBS News found that a December 2024 web article from Naval Sea Systems Command about the laying of the keel for the future USNS Thurgood Marshall has been deleted. File: Alissa Kamens Marshall, USNS Thurgood Marshall ship sponsor participates in the time-honored tradition of the keel laying/certification by welding her initials into the keel plate of the new ship. Sarah Cannon "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," Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi told CBS News in a statement. She added, "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." House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CBS News the move was "an utter abomination in terms of the extreme MAGA Republican effort to continue to erase American history, and we're not going to allow it to happen." And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X that Hegseth "should be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately." Following his confirmation in January, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a directive instructing the Pentagon and U.S. military services to cease hosting events tied to heritage or awareness months, citing concerns that such programs could undermine unity within the ranks. The "Identity Months Dead at DoD" guidance banned official manpower and resources from being used on such events — among them, Pride Month, Black History Month and Women's History Month. The documents obtained by CBS News were not marked with the traditional classification markers typically seen on Defense Department memos. The documents were not marked as "For Official Use Only" or "Controlled Unclassified Information," they were also not marked to indicate they were drafts. There was a "CAUTION" note, however, referring to the information as publicly sensitive. The memo said the renaming of naval ships was to realign the U.S. military with Trump administration priorities of "reestablishing the warrior culture." The documents call for Navy Secretary John Phelan to select a new name for the USNS Harvey Milk on Tuesday, with the notice of the name change going out to other senior U.S. Navy officials later in the week after undergoing legal review. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that 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." Parnell added that any potential renaming decisions would be announced once the internal reviews are complete. first reported the name change for the USNS Harvey Milk on Tuesday, but the news of other naval vessels being considered for a name change has not yet been reported. The USNS Harvey Milk is a John Lewis-class replenishment oiler, designed to support carrier strike groups at sea. The class of ships is named after civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis, who died in 2020. Harvey Milk, the political trailblazer, emerged in the 1970s as one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States. After years of activism, he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, where he quickly became a national symbol of LGBTQ+ political empowerment. His life was cut short in 1978 when he was assassinated in City Hall, alongside Mayor George Moscone. The USNS Harvey Milk was christened in 2021 and represented a significant step toward inclusivity within the armed forces. Before he emerged as one of the most visible advocates for gay rights in American history, Milk served in the U.S. Navy. From 1952 to 1954, he held posts as an operations and dive officer aboard two submarine rescue ships — the USS Chanticleer and the USS Kittiwake — both active during the Korean War, according to the U.S. National Archives. But his sexual orientation carried profound consequences as Milk came under scrutiny. In December 1954, Milk, who was then a lieutenant junior grade, was facing a court martial for participating in a "homosexual act" a year earlier. Instead of facing trial, Milk was drummed out of the U.S. military, like so many other gay service members of his era. In January 1954, he resigned his commission and accepted an "Other Than Honorable" discharge. In 2021, the Navy approached Milk's nephew, Stuart Milk, to see if he wanted his uncle's discharge upgraded, according to NPR. Stuart decided against it as a reminder that not everyone was treated with honor. The name change would follow two base renamings Hegseth directed earlier this year to reverse the work a congressionally mandated naming commission did to remove names honoring the Confederacy. In February, he directed Fort Liberty in North Carolina return to Fort Bragg, saying it would now be named after a non-Confederate Bragg, and then directed Fort Moore change to Fort Benning, after another Benning. The naming commission also suggested the Navy rename the guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville, which honors a Confederate battle victory, to the USS Robert Smalls, to recognize a slave who stole a Confederate ship and surrendered it to the Union. The Navy also renamed the USNS Maury to the USNS Marie Tharp, removing the name of a Confederate sailor and replacing it with the name of a pioneering female oceanographer. Although the Navy has renamed ships for various reasons, name changes are still an exceptionally rare occurrence, especially after the ships have entered service.
New York Times
3 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Hegseth Orders Navy to Review Ship Name Honoring Gay Icon Harvey Milk
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Navy to review the names of vessels honoring prominent civil rights leaders, including Harvey Milk, who was one of the country's first openly gay elected officials and a Navy veteran. News of Mr. Hegseth's decision, reported earlier by comes just days into Pride Month, which celebrates the contributions of luminaries in the L.G.B.T.Q. community. Instead, Mr. Hegseth's order was intended as a rebuke of Pride Month, keeping with the Trump administration's drive to expunge diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the federal government, according to a senior defense official familiar with the decision. Mr. Milk is one of several trailblazers whose name has been identified for possible removal from naval vessels. According to a senior official familiar with a memo from John Phelan, the secretary of the Navy, they include Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, another Supreme Court justice, who became a feminist icon; Harriet Tubman, who, after being born into slavery, became an abolitionist instrumental in the Underground Railroad; Lucy Stone, a prominent abolitionist and suffragist; Medgar Evers, a civil-rights leader who was assassinated by a member of the Ku Klux Klan; Cesar Chavez, a labor leader; and Dolores Huerta, another labor leader. The names of the additional ships under review were previously reported by CBS News. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about unannounced policy decisions. '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,' the Pentagon said in a statement issued on Tuesday. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Patricia Clarkson on playing her icon Lilly Ledbetter and the political moment greeting the movie
The film 'Lilly,' a biopic about the equal pay icon Lilly Ledbetter, lands in theaters at a difficult time for her biggest political and civil rights champions. Most are gone or out of power, their hopes of building on Ledbetter's legacy interrupted by a more fundamental fight over President Donald Trump's shake-up of civil rights institutions. It's difficult not to flashforward to the present as the most famous of those supporters appear in interspersed documentary footage: the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former first lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama, who signed the 2009 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which strengthened the right of workers to sue for pay discrimination. Less well-known is Jocelyn Samuels, played as a key character by Deirdre Lovejoy. Back then, Samuels was an executive at the National Women's Law Center, guiding Ledbetter through the halls of Congress as they lobbied for the law. Currently, Samuels is one of two Democratic commissioners fired by Trump from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an unprecedented power play she is fighting in a lawsuit. Ledbetter died in October at the age of 86. The following month, Trump's election all but dashed Democratic hopes for passage any time soon of the more comprehensive Paycheck Fairness Act, which Ledbetter championed and would, among other measures, strengthen the ability of the EEOC to investigate pay discrimination. Patricia Clarkson, who stars as Ledbetter in 'Lilly,' doesn't shy away from the politics of the film, directed by Rachel Feldman. The Academy Award-nominee shared the red carpet with Clinton, who made a surprise appearance at the film's May 7 premier in New York City. She often recalls how her own mother, the late former Louisiana state legislator Jackie Clarkson, cried for joy when learning her daughter would play Ledbetter. In an interview with The Associated Press, Clarkson said the politics are a salient backdrop for what people should remember most: a woman who for most of her life was an unknown working mother until an anonymous note tipped her off that her male co-workers were getting paid thousands of dollars more for the same job, and she decided to fight back. The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity. Q: What did you do to prepare for the role? I understand you never met Lilly Ledbetter and it that it was an intentional choice. A: I imprint very easily with people and so I was afraid if I met Lilly, I would try to imitate her, play her. I realized that I owed her the very best of me as an actress, as a woman and a person. And the way to do that is to bring the best of you and to bring the best of yourself emotionally and physically and intellectually. And you can't do that if you are living with such an image. And Lilly is a very powerful image in my life. And so I had to kind of just bring her back to an ordinary life. Q: Did you did you dig into her writings or her speeches? A: I looked at a certain amount ... But I wanted her emotional life ever-present ... That's what's important because change is hard and people suffer to fight injustice .... I didn't care about mannerisms. I just wanted her emotional strife and struggle to be present. Q: It must have been hard to anticipate how different the political moment would be when the movie was released. A: I literally and figuratively had dreams of being on a press tour with Lilly. It was going to be the highlight of my life to be with this remarkable human being ... but then she passed. But maybe right now, is the greatest time for this film because it's reminding people that there can be accomplishments. Q: Is it a more difficult political climate for a film like this? A: I know the Democrats embraced her but let me tell you something: Lilly was not really a deeply political person, and that's something I held strong to ... And yeah, she spoke at the (Democratic National Convention) but she would have spoken at the (Republican National Convention) if she has been asked. Equal pay is equal pay. Whether you are North, South, East, West, whether you were red, blue or purple. She didn't care. Q: You also recently starred in 'She Said,' the 2022 film about the New York Times' uncovering of the sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein. What are the parallels with 'Lilly'? A: It's all of a piece. It's a mindset of certain men we have had to work with, either in Hollywood or in the workforce ... Hollywood's come a long way because I've been in it since 1985, and I've spoken about this. We used to meet male producers and directors in hotel rooms and actors in hotel rooms, and we all thought that was fine. We were paid less throughout. I was paid less throughout the whole beginning of my career. Q: If there's one thing that you want the audience to take away about Lilly, what would it be? A: She got back up, and you should be a proud American when you watch her. _______ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
