A Shameful Gesture in Pride Month

I’ll be honest—I’m angry.

This week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Navy will be renaming the USNS Harvey Milk. Let that sink in. During Pride Month—a time when we reflect on the courage and contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals—he chose to strip Harvey Milk’s name from a Navy ship. It’s hard to see this as anything but a deliberate and deeply cynical move.

For those who don’t know, Harvey Milk wasn’t just a gay icon—he was a Navy veteran. He served this country. He wore the uniform. And after being discharged during an era when being openly gay meant exile or worse, he went on to become the first openly gay elected official in California. He fought for equality with both passion and integrity, and ultimately gave his life for the cause of justice and representation.

When the USNS Harvey Milk was christened, it felt like a small but meaningful step toward acknowledging that queer Americans have always served—often in silence, often in danger, always with dignity. That ship’s name stood for something more than just metal and machinery. It honored visibility, service, and sacrifice.

To remove that name—during Pride Month, no less—isn’t just tone-deaf. It’s cruel. It’s shameful. It’s part of a larger effort we’re seeing to roll back the clock on diversity, inclusion, and basic decency. This isn’t about strengthening the military. It’s about erasing queer people from the story of America. It’s about rewriting history in a way that suits a narrow, regressive agenda.

We’re told this has something to do with restoring “warrior ethos” and “core values.” But here’s what I know: real strength includes empathy. Real warriors fight for all people, not just the ones who look or love like them. Real leadership doesn’t cower behind performative patriotism—it uplifts the truth, even when that truth makes some people uncomfortable.

Secretary Hegseth’s record already includes a DUI arrest and a long list of questionable decisions. But this one? This feels personal. This feels targeted. This feels like a slap in the face to every queer person who has ever served this country and to everyone who continues to fight for equality and recognition today.

Harvey Milk once said, “Hope will never be silent.” And neither should we.

So no, we’re not going to sit quietly while our heroes are erased. We’re not going to accept Pride Month as a time for symbolic gestures and empty rainbows while the actual legacy of LGBTQ+ people is being dismantled. We’re going to keep remembering. We’re going to keep speaking. And we’re going to make damn sure that the name Harvey Milk is never forgotten.