Construction began Friday on the future Harvey Milk, a fleet oiler named for the slain gay rights leader and the first openly gay man elected in the state.
Milk was elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors in 1978 and was assassinated 10 months later by an ex-supervisor.
Almost 30 years before his election, Milk was a Naval dive officer based in San Diego. His nephew, Stuart Milk, attended Friday’s event and said naming the ship after his uncle sends a message to people around the world.
“(This) sends a global message of inclusion more powerful than simply ‘We’ll tolerate everyone,’” Milk said. “(It says) We celebrate everyone.”
Milk said his uncle was forced to resign from the Navy in the 1950s after being caught in a San Diego park popular with gay men. To be honored now with a ship showed how much things have changed, he said.
Stuart Milk was speaking at General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego, where the ship is being built. He was joined by NASSCO representatives and San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, State Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, Assemblyman Todd Gloria, and San Diego City Councilman Chris Ward.
Full story at San Diego Union-Tribune.
Read more California Catholic Daily stories about Harvey Milk:
Big mistake, to name a Naval ship after Harvey Milk! The Navy crew on the ship deserves much better! This is a terrible disgrace! To be actively gay with sex partners/”spouses” — is a horrific sin– very shameful to Navy men, serving our country!
Even more tragic is naming a U.S. ship after a child abuser! According to Milk’s own accounts, he had sex with underage boys. It’s right to condemn the pervert priest abusers, but, does no one notice the hypocrisy of giving Harvey Milk a pass on the same crimes and sins?
I agree!
USNS Chicken Hawk
Yay. I can’t wait to watch you all rage against the machine and steel. Go at it! Knock yourselves out!
Don’t worry, these Catholics aren’t going to knock anyone’s hat off and then punch them, nor are they going to break windows and loot businesses or attack police with pepper spray. It’s all going to be moderate comments about the action taken, not personal attacks on anyone.
Such a name will bring bad luck to those poor sailors.
Did I miss something, who in the Navy hierarchy authorized this?
This is a load of rot. Milk was not dishonorably discharged from the Navy.
According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, “Milk served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and was discharged in 1955 (Milk later said that he was dishonourably discharged due to his homosexuality, but military records do not support this claim)” and even NPR, “Milk was the first openly gay elected official in California. As a young man, he served in the Navy as a diving officer during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged from the service with the rank of lieutenant in 1955.”
I’ve heard it said he lied to gain sympathy and votes. Sounds like something a politician might do, no?
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harvey-Milk
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/07/29/487944304/u-s-navy-to-honor-gay-rights-icon-harvey-milk
Only in California would a naval ship be named after a gay, child molesting pervert. I was raised in Northern California in the 40’s and 50’s. It was decent then.
And, it gets worse! Today, I was picking up a relative from San Francisco Int’l Airport and was “greeted” by the huge sign at the terminal named after the child-abuser Milk!