Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly ordered the Navy to rename an oiler ship bearing the name of a controversial gay rights activist who allegedly had a relationship with a 16-year-old boy, Military.com reported Tuesday, citing internal documents and an anonymous official.
The USNS Harvey Milk, named after a San Francisco gay rights activist who was the first openly gay man elected to public office in California, is being prepared to be stripped of its name by Hegseth’s orders to Navy Secretary John Phelan, according to Military.com.
Documents reviewed by Military.com reportedly show that the renaming is being done to bring the Navy in “alignment with president and SECDEF objectives and SECNAV priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture.”
The USNS Harvey Milk debuted its new name in August 2016 during the waning days of the Obama administration, according to USNI News. Milk served in the Navy from 1951 to 1955 as a diving officer during the Korean War on the submarine rescue ship Kittiwaki.
Milk was shot and killed in 1978 by Dan White, who was a rival of his in San Francisco City Hall at the time. Milk remains a revered figure among LGBT activists.
Hegseth has made a major push to root out left-wing initiatives in the armed services, such as LGBT initiatives and diversity, equity and inclusion projects and related content.
The Pentagon and Phelan’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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