The US Navy will rename a tanker named after the Harvey Milk gay rights activist, US officials told Reuters on Tuesday.
In 2016, the US Navy announced that it would appoint one of its new oil ships in honor of Milk, a Navy veteran became one of the first admittedly gay people elected to a public office in the United States.
O, as part of the John Lewis oil class class.
An American authority, speaking on anonymity, said the guideline for the change came from Hegseth’s office.
The Pentagon and the US Navy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The authority said it was unclear when the name change would occur, but noted that June is the celebrated annually in honor of the LGBTQIA+rights movement.
Another authority stated that it would not be surprising if other John Lewis class ships were renamed, as other tankers honored civil rights and human rights leaders.
The planned name change was first reported by the military news site Military.com.
Milk served at the US Navy in 1951 as a dive officer during the Korea War. Elected to the San Francisco Supervisors Council as the first openly gay politician of California, he was killed in office in 1978.
Since assuming the position of United States Secretary of Defense in January, a former Fox News presenter has eliminated Diversity initiatives in the Pentagon and ended identity celebrations, such as the month of black history.
