Republican Utah state representative Trevor Lee has drafted a bill to rename a road dedicated to gay rights activist Harvey Milk after Charlie Kirk.

Harvey Milk, a prominent gay rights activist celebrated as the first out gay man ever elected into public office in California, had a stretch of Salt Lake City’s 900 South road named after him in 2016. He was assassinated in 1978.

Republican Utah state representative Trevor Lee, however, told Axios that he has introduced a bill file with the proposal to name the segment of road after the late right-wing influencer, Charlie Kirk.

Kirk was shot in the neck while giving a talk at Utah Valley University at the beginning of September. Lee told a local news outlet that Kirk, who was born in Arligton Heights, Illinois, has a greater “connection” to Utah than Milk.

“From the vast majority of Utahns, they would say that Harvey Milk does not have any connection to Utah whatsoever,” Lee said. “But Charlie Kirk does now, especially after being assassinated in the state of Utah.”

@pinknews Utah state Rep. Trevor Lee has introduced a bill that would rename a stretch of Salt Lake City’s 900 South, currently called Harvey Milk Boulevard, as “Charlie Kirk Boulevard.” Milk, a prominent gay rights activist, was honoured with the street name in 2016. Lee says he believes Kirk, recently “assassinated in the state of Utah,” now has stronger local ties. The road is not a state road, and city governments typically control street naming, meaning the Utah Legislature may not have legal authority to mandate the change. Lee has supported other conservative measures, including legislation that bans Pride flags on government property. #harveymilk #utah #charliekirk #republicans #lgbtqia ♬ Minimal for news / news suspense(1169746) – Hiraoka Kotaro

Aside from Kirk’s assassination, he has no ties to Utah. Milk had the stretch of road named after him in 2016 after a vote by the Salt Lake City council.

Kirk frequently expressed anti-LGBTQ+ views before his death, and said that gun deaths were justified by the right to bear arms.

The 900 South is not a state road, meaning city governments typically control street naming; therefore Utah legislature may not have the legal authority to mandate the change.

Lee has a history of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment; he recently sponsored a bill banning Pride flags in the state, and after the Sundance Film Festival moved out of Utah, he said that it “promoted filth” and “would not be missed”.

Republican Utah governor Spencer Cox, who called for the death penalty for Charlie Kirk’s shooter, is similarly anti-LGBTQ+, and in March, said he would allow a first-in-the-nation policy banning certain flag displays, including LGBTQ+ Pride flags, at schools and government buildings to become law without his signature, AP reported.

Milk also recently had his name stripped from the USNS Harvey Milk as part of the Trump administration’s war on ‘woke’.

The USNS Harvey Milk, which is a fleet replenishment oiler, was named after the activist in 2016 during the Obama administration; it launched in 2021.

According to CBS and Military.com, the orders to rename “multiple” Naval ships were contained in a memo that had “intentional” timing during Pride month.

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