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[BrokenFiction]

The Navy is set to name a ship after the gay rights icon and San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, according to a Congressional notification obtained by USNI News.

The July 14, 2016 notification, signed by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, indicated he intended to name a planned Military Sealift Command fleet oiler USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO-206). The ship would be the second of the John Lewis-class oilers being built by General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego, Calif.

The Secretary of the Navy’s office is deferring releasing additional information until the naming announcement, a Navy official told USNI News on Thursday.

Mabus has said the John Lewis-class – named after civil rights activist and congressman Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) – would be named after civil rights leaders.

Other names in the class include former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren whose court ruled to desegregate U.S. schools, former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, women’s right activist Lucy Stone and abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth.

Mabus has also named ships in the past for other civil rights icons, including the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ships USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE-13) and USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE-14).

Milk came from a Navy family and commissioned in the service in 1951. He served as a diving officer in San Diego during the Korean War on the submarine rescue ship Kittiwake until 1955. Milk was honorably discharged from the service as a lieutenant junior grade.

Following his service, Milk was elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors and was the first openly gay California politician to be elected to office. He was killed in office in 1978. When Milk was shot he was wearing his U.S. Navy diver’s belt buckle.

This is so amazing. Wow.

 

[Kurdel]

That's great!

 

[inner-G]

/salute

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=InBXu-iY7cw

 

[FortuneFaded]

So it's a Milk Float?

 

[Acorn]

That's pretty damn cool. Amazing the progress that has been made in the last decade.

From don't ask don't tell to having a gay icon honoured.

 

[Wanda/Wander]

I feel like there has to be a Simpsons gif for this

 

[Spiritreaver]

That's amazing.

 

[Waddle Dee]

That's great news! Hopefully the inevitable vocal outcry from manchildren won't be too loud.

 

[BrokenFiction]

That's great news! Hopefully the inevitable vocal outcry from manchildren won't be too loud.

Maybe the theory is put so much cool progressive moves forward out there that they can't possibly cry about them all?

 

[Acorn]

That's great news! Hopefully the inevitable vocal outcry from manchildren won't be too loud.

Fuck em let the mouth breathers embarrass themselves. Wailing impotently at progress.

 

[Leunam]

That's great news! Hopefully the inevitable vocal outcry from manchildren won't be too loud.

Can't wait for the vocal minority to call for one named after Bernie Sanders, civil rights extraordinaire that he is.

 

[Messofanego]

Yay for good news!

 

[Shadowheart]

I LOVE progress. And things are developing faster and faster. I still remember the idiotic 'don't ask, don't tell' joke. If only Milk can see the change today he would cry of joy.

 

[DudeWithNoName]

That's fantastic.

 

[vypek]

Pretty cool

I feel like there has to be a Simpsons gif for this

Closest thing I can think of

 

[Dead Man]

Nice

 

[Frozenprince]

While it's a wonderful gesture. It also highlights the issue that the only gay rights icon that gets remembered is Harvey Milk.

 

[OnionPowder]

It's amazing how far gays and the military have come in the past 10 years.

This is really something awesome

 

[Zeus Molecules]

That's a great decision by the navy

 

[Nudull]

Trite "gay Navy" jokes in 3, 2...

In all seriousness, this is nice.

So it'll be full of seamen.






DON'T BAN ME, THE JOKE JUST WRITES ITSELF.

Like clockwork.

 

[Schadenfreude]

So it'll be full of seamen.






DON'T BAN ME, THE JOKE JUST WRITES ITSELF.