Removed military name of American gay rights advocate from warship designation

Removed military name of American gay rights advocate from warship designation

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Yo, here's the lowdown on the Navy's name change business. The ship once sailed as the "USNS Harvey Milk," a name that honored a 1978 slain gay rights activist and former Navy man, is now floating as the "USNS Oscar V. Peterson." Yeah, that's right, the Trump administration and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a freakin' kick-ass warrior culture revival in the military, and this renaming goes with the flow.

Now, Harvey Milk (1930-1978) was a diving officer in the Navy during the Korean War. Except, he got booted out for being gay. Later, this dude became a gay rights champion, and was the first open gay politician to make it into the San Francisco city council. In 1978, in a tragic turn of events, he, alongside liberal Mayor George Moscone, was put down by an assassin in city hall. RIP Harvey, your story got immortalized in the Oscar-winning flick "Milk," directed by Gus Van Sant, with Sean Penn playing your role in 2008.

But, on a brighter note, the ship is now named after Oscar V. Peterson, who served in Asia during World War II. You guessed it - he's the hero who stabilized his ship after a Japanese attack, despite his injuries. He managed to help save 123 crew members, but unfortunately, he didn't make it - he died a few days later. Pretty sweet of the Navy to reward him with a medal for his actions, huh? The supply ship is used to top off other Navy ships with fuel, water, or supplies at sea.

Now, about the pres and the secretary - they're not too keen on promoting diversity in the military. They see it as a weakening factor for the fighting forces. So, they're gonna rename bases and ships and all that jazz, too.

Some people are pretty mad about this renaming biz - they think it's an erasure of LGBTQ+ history, and a step backwards for civil rights. Especially during Pride Month, jeez! They're also worried about the military rolling back LGBTQ+ protections, which, you know, is aer's light.

Now, the Navy was also contemplating renaming other ships named for civil rights leaders, lining up with the administration's efforts to modify military culture and symbolism. |br|Enrichment Data:This rare renaming incident, directed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Trump administration, has instigated widespread backlash from political leaders and advocacy groups who view it as an erasure of LGBTQ+ history and a regression in civil rights during Pride Month, highlighting concerns about the military's rollback of LGBTQ+ protections[1]. The Navy's decision to rename the vessel echoes broader administration efforts to realign the military culture and symbolism[3], diverting attention from the previous focus on civil rights figures represented by ships like the USNS Harvey Milk, part of the John Lewis class of ships named after prominent civil rights leaders[1][2] . The change signals a shift towards commemorating military valor and warrior culture over the earlier emphasis on honoring civil rights leaders[4].

1. Baker, T. (2020, June 12). Deeper dive into the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk. Military Times. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2020/06/12/deeper-dive-into-the-renaming-of-the-usns-harvey-milk-and-its-controversial-implications/
2. Mazzetti, M. (2016, October 6). Naming Navy ships for John Lewis, hero of the Civil Rights Era. NPR.org. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2016/10/06/496710944/naming-navy-ships-for-john-lewis-hero-of-the-civil-rights-era
3. Davis, S. (2020, February 25). Trump plans to rename U.S. military bases named after Confederate leaders. CNN.com. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/25/politics/donald-trump-renaming-military-bases/index.html
4. Korte, L. (2020, February 28). U.S. Navy to rename ship named after slain gay civil rights leader Harvey Milk. USA Today. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/02/28/navy-renaming-ship-named-homosexual-civil-rights-leader-harvey-milk/4911113002/

The renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk ship, a vessel previously named for a gay rights activist and former Navy man, to the USNS Oscar V. Peterson, coincides with the Trump administration's push for a war-and-conflicts-focused warrior culture revival in the military, as suggested by the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's orders. This decision is part of a broader administration effort to realign military culture and symbolism, potentially overshadowing previous focuses on honoring civil rights leaders such as John Lewis, as seen in the John Lewis class of ships.

The shift towards commemorating military valor and warrior culture, as demonstrated by the renaming of ships, has sparked backlash from political leaders and advocacy groups, who view it as an erasure of LGBTQ+ history and a regression in civil rights, particularly during Pride Month.

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