Jun 04, 2025 04:17 AM IST

Harvey Milk served within the US Navy in 1951 as a diving officer through the Korean War.

 The US Navy will rename an oil tanker that had been named after slain homosexual rights activist Harvey Milk, US officers informed Reuters on Tuesday, the most recent transfer within the US navy beneath Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to root out range, fairness and inclusion.

The USNS Harvey Milk was christened in 2021, as a part of the John Lewis class of tankers.(AFP)

In 2016, the US Navy mentioned it could identify one among its new class of oil tankers after Milk, a Navy veteran who later grew to become one of many first brazenly homosexual folks elected to public workplace within the United States.

The USNS Harvey Milk was christened in 2021, as a part of the John Lewis class of tankers.

A US official, talking on the situation of anonymity, mentioned the directive for the change got here from Hegseth’s workplace.

The Pentagon and the US Navy didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.

The official mentioned it was unclear when the renaming would really happen, however famous that June is Pride Month, noticed yearly to honor the LGBTQ rights motion.

Another official mentioned it could not be shocking if further ships within the John Lewis class have been renamed, since different tankers honored civil rights and human rights leaders.

The deliberate identify change was first reported by navy information web site Military.com.

Milk served within the US Navy in 1951 as a diving officer through the Korean War. Elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors as the primary brazenly homosexual California politician, he was killed in workplace in 1978.

Since taking workplace in January, Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has eradicated range initiatives on the Pentagon and ended observances of id celebrations comparable to Black History Month.

DEI packages search to advertise alternatives for girls, ethnic minorities and different historically underrepresented teams. Civil rights advocates argue that such packages, usually backed by Democrats, are wanted to handle longstanding inequities and structural racism.

They have come beneath assault from conservatives, who say race- and gender-focused initiatives are inherently discriminatory and fail to prioritize advantage. In February, Hegseth chided previous celebrations of the US navy’s range in a broad handle to Pentagon workers, saying: “I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is ‘our diversity is our strength.’”

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