US Navy Launches the USNS Harvey Milk, Named After Gay Icon

The USNS Harvey Milk was christened on November 6, 2021 in San Diego, California, according to LGBTQ Nation. The ship is second in a 2018 line of Navy replenishment oilers.

The ship was named after Harvey Milk, a gay activist and later one of the first gay elected officials of San Francisco. Milk was a former Navy officer who was pressured into resigning his position when his supervisors found out he was a gay man.

“Harvey was a beacon of hope not just for LGBTQ people, but all Americans. Now, this ship will serve as a symbol of hope for the world to see,” says Todd Gloria, the LGBTQ mayor of San Diego.

Among notable characters present were Gloria, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, former Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, California Dem. Vice-Chair David Campos, and Milk’s Nephew, Stuart. Campos used to serve as Milk’s campaign manager when he ran for his position.

The USNS Harvey Milk is the second ship to be finished in the John Lewis class of ships, named after the civil rights activist along with ship number one of the fleet. The John Lewis was put in service in January 2021 and christened July 17, 2021, a year after Lewis had passed.

Per christening tradition, the USNS Harvey Milk will have sparking wine smashed across the bow. The honor was carried out by Paula Neira, the Clinical Program Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Transgender Health and a Navy veteran.

Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California was meant to originally undertake the task alongside Neira as on of the ship’s co-sponsors, however was unable to attend due to other matters.

While at the time, Harvey wasn’t appreciated or accepted for who he was, he would be proud to see the legacy he left behind, being remembered for ages to come as his true self.