BY ROB SALERNO - With last year's repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the US Armed Forces have begun to step boldly into the American battle for gay equality. So what better way to signal which side of the culture war the US fighting men and women are fighting for than by naming a naval ship after a famous gay rights activist?

Democratic Congressman Bob Filner (San Diego) has sent a request to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus asking that he name the next available ship after Harvey Milk (pictured above), the activist, city councillor and former naval diving officer who was murdered in 1978 along with San Francisco mayor George Moscone by former board of supervisors member Dan White.

While the navy traditionally names ships after cities, states or marine life, in recent years ships have been given the names of prominent Americans, including senators, congressmen and civil rights leaders.

Would the USS Harvey Milk be the gayest ship in the fleet? No, that would be the USS Missouri, seen here:

And because no story about the US Navy would be complete without The Village People: