Pete Hegseth's Reason for Renaming USNS Harvey Milk Is Homophobic, Harvey Levin Says

Pete Hegseth is using homophobic reasoning to attack the legacy of an American icon, which could lead to him banning gay people from the military next ... so says our very own Harvey Levin.

The TMZ founder discussed the Secretary of Defense's decision to rename the United States Naval Ship Harvey Milk on "TMZ Live" Wednesday ... starting off by telling a story about his own experience hiding his sexuality during his teens and 20s.

Harvey talks about concealing this huge part of himself from his friends, family and his fellow servicemen in the Air National Guard -- the latter of which he had to do in order to avoid a dishonorable discharge.

Levin says Milk -- the late gay rights activist who was elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors before he was assassinated in 1978 -- helped him become who he truly is and embrace his own sexuality.

HL says Hegseth's choice to take Milk's name off the ship -- especially during Pride Month -- makes it clear how the military's top officials feel about the gay community.

The Pentagon's chief spokesperson, Sean Parnell, released a statement ... "Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos."

Harvey takes particular umbrage with the line about the "warrior ethos" ... believing this indicates the Pentagon doesn't think gay people can be soldiers -- an inherently homophobic statement.

Levin finishes his comments by saying this could be the next step toward a ban on gay people joining the military ... a thought he's brought up on "TMZ Live" before.