Harvey Milk Name Stripped from a US Naval Ship
There were no corporate floats at Pride this year. No rainbow banks, no feel-good brands trying to sell us all sorts of pride items. At first, it felt like relief. But beneath the surface, there’s something more dangerous unfolding—a coordinated erasure.
Harvey Milk’s name was stripped from a U.S. naval ship. The 988 lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth is losing its “Press 3” option. Lesbian elders are losing access to federal support through organizations like SAGE. And state by state, Lesbian and Queer Women are watching rights turn to dust—again.
As a Lesbian feminists, we’ve seen this cycle before. When visibility is used to quiet us. When power dresses up as policy. When the most vulnerable in our communities are the first to be erased.
Here are five truths we know in our bones:
1️⃣ Neutral isn’t neutral—it’s a weapon.
They say it’s about “removing politics” from ship names and schoolbooks—but when they erase Harvey Milk, they’re not being neutral. They’re making space for silence. For shame. For closets we already fought our way out of. They’re trying to erase our legacies, our leaders, and our lives.
Let’s be clear: this is backlash—and it’s meant to scare us back into hiding.
As lesbian poet and activist Adrienne Rich warned:
“When someone with the authority of a teacher, say, describes the world and you are not in it… there is a moment of psychic disequilibrium, as if you looked into a mirror and saw nothing.”
We’re not going back to invisibility. Not now. Not ever.
Let’s be clear: this is backlash—and it’s meant to scare us.
No Sponsors, No Support
This year’s board secured no major sponsors—a rare and telling silence. Whether it was budget cuts, politics, or discomfort with leadership that doesn’t reflect the full LGBTQ+ spectrum, the absence was glaring. For instance, Pepsi wanted to donated not only money but also drinks. But Pepsi was denied.
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