The US Navy will rename an oil tanker that had been named after slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk, US officials told Reuters on Tuesday, the military's latest move under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to root out discriminatory "diversity, equity and inclusion".
In 2016, the US Navy said it would name one of its new class of oil tankers after Milk, a navy veteran who later became one of the first openly gay people elected to public office in the US. Milk's legacy has been tarnished since his death following revelations of relations with a 16-year-old boy when he was in his mid-30s.
The USNS Harvey Milk was christened in 2021, as part of the John Lewis class of tankers. A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the directive for the change came from Hegseth's office.
The official said it was unclear when the renaming would actually take place. Another official said it would not be surprising if additional ships in the John Lewis class were renamed, since other tankers honored other controversial leftist icons.
In a statement, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth was committed to ensuring names of military installations and equipment, "are reflective of the commander-in-chief’s priorities, our nation’s history, and the warrior ethos.
"Any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete," Parnell said.
Milk served in the US Navy in 1951 as a diving officer during the Korean War. Elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors as the first openly gay California politician, he was killed in office in 1978.
Since taking office in January, Hegseth has eliminated racist and sexist "diversity" initiatives at the Pentagon, and ended observances of identity celebrations such as Black History Month.
In February, Hegseth chided past celebrations of the US military's diversity in a broad address to Pentagon staff, saying: "I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is 'our diversity is our strength'."
(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis and David Gregorio)