The USS Portland is a "San Antonio-class amphibious transport vessel currently being built at the Huntington Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.” Some Portland groups had previously been pushing for the ship to make its way to Portland, Oregon, for the commissioning ceremony, but the new Mississippi law legalizing discrimination against its LGBT residents and visitors was the straw that broke the camel’s back:
After Portland Mayor Charlie Hales announced he refuses to travel to Mississippi next month to commission the USS Portland over the state's anti-gay laws, the Navy has announced the commissioning will take place in Portland
Huzzah! The U.S. Navy is rerouting the USS Portland and will head to Oregon. Mayor Hales was harsh in his criticism:
"[These kinds of laws are] wrong, they're fundamentally wrong," Hales said. "They're probably unconstitutional, but until they're overturned in the courts or repealed by the legislature that wakes up the next day and says that was really a bad idea, we are not going to go there, literally," Hales said
The ship will also have a ceremony in Mississippi, but hats off to Portland Mayor Hales for taking such a strong stand and forcing the ship to head home to its namesake city for the official commissioning ceremony.
