Harvey Milk was gay. We all know that. But today, gay sailors serve openly and with a great deal of pride in the U.S. military,” said retired Adm. James Stavridis.

Navy tradition and basic decency make clear the beleaguered defense secretary shouldn’t rename the ship. Hegseth is doing it anyway.

Actor Sean Penn hammered Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for attempting to erase LGBTQ activist Harvey Milk’s service record. Penn, 64, ripped Hegseth as “Chief PETTY Officer” in an email to The Hollywood Reporter after it was revealed in a leaked Pentagon memo that the United States Naval Ship Harvey Milk—christened in Milk’s honor on Nov.