Getty imagesThe American navy plans to withdraw the name of the leader in the rights of homosexuals and veteran of the Harvey Milk navy of one of its ships, and can change the titles of other ships honoring the chiefs of civil rights.
The plans were described in documents obtained by the American partner of the BBC, CBS News, which show a calendar to rename it from the USNS Harvey Milk Share with the public.
He came during the month of pride in June, an annual commemoration of the LGBT community which coincides with the anniversary of the riots of Stonewall in 1969.
The directive also intervenes in the midst of a broader movement of the Trump administration to limit programs that promote diversity and inclusion in federal departments.
Sean Parnell, spokesperson for the Pentagon, told CBS on Tuesday that the name change of the USNS Harvey Milk was to realign the US military with the Trump administration to “restore warlike culture” in the armed forces.
The memo calls the secretary of the navy, John Phelan, to select a new name for the oil from the fleet. This change of name would then be communicated to other senior officials of the US Navy after a legal examination.
He also describes other ships recommended to rename it, including the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, appointed according to the deceased judge of the Supreme Liberal Court, and the USNS Harriet Tubman, named after the American abolitionist of slavery.
Harvey Milk is known to be the first openly gay man to be elected in the public service in California, winning a seat at San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He was murdered 10 months after taking oath.
The push to rename the USNS Harvey Milk comes after a directive published by the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth earlier this year has asked US military staff to stop hosting heritage or awareness -raising events.
ReutersThis directive has prohibited resources and labor from being used on events such as pride, the month of black history and the month of women’s history, invoking concerns that they would undermine unity in the army.
US President Donald Trump also published decrees earlier this year that prohibited diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the government, and who has made his official American policy to recognize two sexes, men and women.
Supporters of the Dei programs say they deal with historical under-representation and discrimination against certain groups, including racial minorities, but criticisms say that such initiatives are themselves discriminatory.
The decision to rename Harvey milk and other ships was criticized by eminent democrats, notably the former president of the Nancy Pelosi Chamber.
In a statement to CBS, Pelosi described The Move as “vindictive erasure of those who fought to break the barriers so that everyone continues the American dream”.
The minority head of the Democratic Senate, Chuck Schumer, wrote on X Tuesday that Hegseth “should be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately”.
