Sean Penn Calls Out Pete Hegseth For Harvey Milk Controversy

Sean Penn is ripping into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over reports that the Pentagon plans to rename the USNS Harvey Milk. “I’ve never before seen a Secretary of Defense so aggressively demote himself to the rank of Chief PETTY Officer,” Penn joked. The move, tied to Hegseth’s push for “warrior culture” and announced during Pride month, sparked immediate backlash. Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black called it a “distraction” meant to divide Americans, adding, “Pete Hegseth does not seem like a smart man.” Black urged people to honor Milk’s legacy by fighting division and standing up for the civil rights movement’s true spirit.