Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth set off a firestorm of righteous indignation on the left when he ordered the Navy to strike the name of Harvey Milk from one of its ships, and did so during the sacred high holiday of Pride Month.
Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth has ordered the Navy to strike the name of gay rights activist Harvey Milk from one of its ships, orchestrating the change as Pride month celebrations take place.
— ABC News (@ABC) June 3, 2025
A defense official said the decision's timing was intentional. https://t.co/WcOd0eSN7p pic.twitter.com/RYyGLGxxDE
How dare he do such a thing during Pride Month?
Democrats were quick to denounce the move.
Our military is the most powerful in the world – but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the "warrior" ethos.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 3, 2025
It is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream. https://t.co/Dc5Q6cut0r
#HarveyMilk served in the US military. This is simply shameful and unpatriotic. https://t.co/GyUr5RSK8B
— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) June 3, 2025
Pete Hegseth should be ashamed.
— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) June 3, 2025
Harvey Milk served this country with honor—first in the Navy, then as a trailblazing public servant.
Erasing his name from a Navy ship during Pride Month is a petty, disgraceful insult to his legacy and to LGBTQI+ Americans who continue to serve. https://t.co/v9qxmdhP6l
Erasing Harvey Milk’s name is disgusting, blatant discrimination—and during Pride Month to boot.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 3, 2025
He served the U.S. Navy and his country honorably, and he was assassinated while serving the public and fighting for LGBTQ+ rights.
Hegseth should be ashamed of himself and reverse… pic.twitter.com/qc6pGh9chE
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Even California Governor Gavin Newsome took time out from his extensive hair care routine to excoriate Hegseth's callous decision.
Donald Trump’s assault on veterans has hit a new low.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 3, 2025
Harvey Milk wasn’t just a civil rights icon — he was a Korean War combat veteran whose commander called him “outstanding.”
Stripping his name from a Navy ship won’t erase his legacy as an American icon, but it does reveal… https://t.co/0LPuAtSG1y
Harvey Milk is a hero of the left. After being forced to resign from the Navy for being gay he became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1978. He was assassinated in November of the same year.
President Obama posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
Harvey Milk is a true Icon of the Left.
He was also buddies with cult leader Jim Jones and had a proclivity for troubled teenage boys.
To call Milk controversial would be an understatement.
He sexually abused a 16-year-old boy, Gavin. https://t.co/GXwOXLCxgb
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) June 4, 2025
Harvey Milk publicly sexually abused a 16 year old runaway for years, who would later commit suicide, Donna. https://t.co/sYp0SG3uwN
— Chad Felix Greene 🇮🇱 (@chadfelixg) June 4, 2025
Maybe it’s me being a prude but I think a guy who was buddy buddy with Jim Jones like Harvey Milk was, going so far as to call Jones “A man of the highest character” in a letter to Jimmy Carter, doesn’t deserve to have his name anywhere near a U.S. Navy ship. Great move here https://t.co/vIWiLAqbcy pic.twitter.com/UXokmmcqXt
— Enguerrand VII de Coucy (@ingelramdecoucy) June 3, 2025
Too bad he couldn’t keep his hands off of troubled teens.
— DelilahM (@delilahmused) June 4, 2025
Democrats don't care about things like sexually abused teenagers or murderous cult leaders. They've got virtues to signal, but Hegseth might be onto something.
Harvey Milk was publicly a champion of gay rights, but behind the scenes, he was an awful person. Maybe, just maybe, we should hold a person to a higher standard when naming ships after them.
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