Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to rename a ship monikered after Harvey Milk, a homosexual activist and former sailor.

The directive forms part of a broader push to align military naming conventions with the Trump administration’s emphasis on the warrior ethos, with a team assembled by Navy Secretary John Phelan is now selecting a replacement name, expected to be announced this month.

Milk served in the Navy during the Korean conflict, later becoming one of America’s first openly homosexual elected officials. His legislative record includes sponsorship of anti-discrimination protections that safeguard homosexuality.

The decision triggered pushback from prominent Democrats. “This spiteful move does not strengthen our national security,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, said in reaction to the move. “Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.”

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom complained about the move as well. “Stripping his name from a Navy ship won’t erase his legacy as an American icon, but it does reveal Trump’s contempt for the very values our veterans fight to protect.”

Milk was nevertheless known not only for homosexual activism, but for having a relationship with a teenaged boy, who was a runaway with substance abuse issues.