State Sen. Scott Wiener called the decision to rename the USNS Harvey Milk a reversal of all the work that’s been done to persuade the Navy to recognize Milk and his service. He rebuked the order as an act of bigotry.
“The removal of Harvey Milk’s name from a naval vessel — during Pride Month, no less — is absolutely shameful. Harvey Milk was a hero. He was a veteran who served our country. He died for our community,” Wiener told KQED in a statement.
Trump and Hegseth are “determined to erase LGBTQ people from all aspects of public life,” he continued.
Cleve Jones, a human rights activist who was a student intern in the office of Supervisor Milk, said the news of the possible name change is unsurprising in light of everything that has transpired since Trump’s election.
He said it is interesting, however, that the defense secretary has chosen to focus so much attention on the name of a ship in the backdrop of major global conflicts such as the war against Ukraine and China’s threats against Taiwan.
“This administration … has turned the entire world order upside down and inside out,” Jones said. “It’s really shameful and does not bode well for the security of our nation.”
As for how Milk would react to this week’s news, Jones said he thinks the man would be unbothered.
Milk “would shrug it off and laugh and double down,” Jones said. “It’s time for us all to focus on the real issues: the real issue of security, the real issues of housing costs, of groceries, of the press — the real issues facing Americans, the ones they talk about at their dinner table.”
“I don’t think they’re talking about the names of these ships at their kitchen table.”
KQED’s Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman contributed to this report.
