Hegseth orders review of ship’s name honoring LGBT icon Harvey Milk

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. Navy to review the names of several ships that pay homage to icons such as Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay officers in the country.

According to a senior defense official familiar with the decision, this review is part of an effort to reassess how names are assigned to military assets, in line with directives from the Trump administration to limit diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government.

Names under review

Some names under review include Thurgood Marshall, the first black Supreme Court justice, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, another Supreme Court justice and a reference on gender issues. Also included are Harriet Tubman, a prominent abolitionist; Lucy Stone, a suffragist; labor leaders César Chávez and Dolores Huerta; and Medgar Evers, a civil rights activist.

Many of these names have been assigned to John Lewis-class replenishment ships in honor of the late congressman and civil rights activist. Some ships have not yet been commissioned, while others, such as the USNS Cesar Chavez and USNS Medgar Evers, are already part of the logistics support fleet.

Ongoing evaluation

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Pentagon explained that the initiative seeks to ensure that names assigned to military installations and assets are "reflective of the commander in chief’s priorities, our nation’s history, and the warrior ethos." According to the same source, any decision on name changes will be announced once internal reviews are completed.

The decision is part of a broader course of action. In January, Hegseth had already issued an order for the military not to allocate resources to commemorate months of cultural awareness, including Pride Month.

For now, the review continues, and no official change has been announced. The process remains under internal review and under direct DoD oversight.