“In The Navy!”
Naming an oiler after a gay man? The oiler USS Harvey Milk. I loved Harvey and I love the irony.
Naming these ships after civil rights leaders is a wonderful idea. The fact that doing so will piss off all the right people is an added bonus.
Thanks, John Lewis!!!
Is that him in the photo? Did he serve? If so, wtf is with this article not even mentioning it?
I am enjoying the exploding heads all over the USA and all over the world.
Via Wiki, he was an officer in the Navy from 1951 to 1955, primarily as a diving officer. He left the Navy as a Lieutenant (j.g.).
Yeah – that’s a very young Harvey Milk.
I’m almost speechless. There have been so many advances in my fifty years. I am in an age bracket of gay men where there is a tremendous hole in our population. Probably a majority of gay men who would be my age are no longer here – they died of AIDS complications. There are a few friends I haven’t seen in over twenty years. One, in particular, who was instrumental in teaching me some of my own history. My friend, Robert, I met in the summer of 1989, when I was scouting San Francisco for a job and a place to live. I answered an ad for a housemate, to share his flat. We became fast friends. Whenever possible, he’d school me on all things gay and all things San Francisco and California. One of my fondest memories is sitting down with him and watching a documentary on Harvey Milk and the Moscone-Milk assassinations (SF Mayor George Moscone). God, back then, we struggled even in SF to get a domestic partners’ registry for gay couples in The City – no benefits, just a fucking registry. It passed, but not by a large margin. Robert passed away in 1994, just prior to HAART therapy (basically combination therapy with at least a protease inhibitor drug). It revolutionized treatment and saved so many. Still, so many had already died and so many were on death’s doorstep. I lost a lot of friends.
The idea that we’re discussing today marriage equality–nationwide–being included in the federal Hate Crimes law, Stonewall being a national monument and naming a big-ass Navy ship for our Harvey Milk … it’s a lot to take in sometimes. LOL. Crying tears of joy right now. Sad, very sad, Robert hasn’t been around to witness the awesome changes and acceptance we’re experiencing.
Thank you to all our supporters, all the fighters. And, thank you, folks like Michelle and Barack Obama, Joe Biden (big-time thanks to you, dude!), Hillary, Bernie, Barbara Boxer, and so many so many so many others. This is so cool!!
Harvey, you’re story is inspiring and this is a well-deserved honor. 
ETA: I also wanted to add a thank you to the many, many lesbian friends in our community – many of you ladies stepped up to the plate to help care for many sick and dying men when their families, friends, lovers, etc., didn’t want anything to do with them. Your courage and friendship will never be forgotten. Much love to you.
Fun fact - the Navy let them shoot the video on an actual Navy ship because they were thinking of using the song for recruiting. Apparently they were a little slow to catch on.
Great post. Thank you!
Same thing happened with the Cher video where she sat astride a cannon barrel. LOL
Fun fact - the Navy let them shoot the video on an actual Navy ship because they were thinking of using the song for recruiting. Apparently they were a little slow to catch on.
Or… were they?
Rob Riggle liked to say “The Marines are actually a department of the Navy. The Men’s department.”
But I’ll admit I was definitely clueless in 1978 when songs like that came out.
No MLK? No Susan B. Anthony (that’ll make some conservo heads explode)? No Thurgood Marshall? But I’m guessing the conservos will demand a Harlon Carter now that (so they say) the 2nd Amendment is a civil right.
Yes, Yes, and they were trying to but the writer confused LGBT with LTJG.
Reference:
That wasn’t highlighted or mentioned in that biopic about him that featured Sean Penn. Interesting.
Wonderful news.
Hmm, so are we to conclude from the photo that Milk was a Navy veteran? That is Milk in the photo, right? This seems needlessly ambiguous.
Hey there. Yes, that is a very young Harvey Milk. Not sure why the photo wasn’t captioned. And, yep, this is wonderful news – I am really happy to hear he’s receiving this honor.