September 23, 2014
Chelsea Manning, formerly known as Army private Bradley Manning, is back in the news from her prison cell stating that the military is just giving her “lip service” and not addressing the gender-reassignment treatment she asked for last year.
In August of 2013 Manning was found guilty of 20 charges that ranged from espionage to theft. For the disclosing of hundreds of thousands of classified documents Manning received 35 years imprisonment at Fort Leavensworth.
“I am Chelsea Manning. I am female,” Manning stated. “Given the way that I feel, and felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. I hope that you will support me in this transaction.” It has been a year since she made those statements.
On Tuesday, Manning stated that the military has failed to provide her with the medical treatment for the condition she has been diagnosed with, Gender Dysphoria.
“Gender identity disorder (GID), also known as gender dysphoria, is the formal diagnosis used by psychologists and physicians to describe persons who experience significant dysphoria (discontent) with the sex they were assigned at birth and/or the gender roles associated with that sex,” according to Wikipedia.
Manning was diagnosed with GID in 2010. According to the suit, the American Civil Liberties Union states that it was the Army medical personnel who diagnosed her.
Because of the pending litigation, Army Lt. Col. Alayne Conway, a spokeswoman from the Pentagon, stated that she could not comment of the situation.
Filed in U.S. District Court, the lawsuit points out that Manning is a high risk of ‘self-castration.’ The suit also indicates that if she does not receive the proper treatment for her gender dysphoria she is at a high risk for suicide as well.
ACLU attorney Chase Strangio stated, “Such clear disregard of well-established medical protocols constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.”
Grooming principles are also at the heart of the lawsuit. Manning is seeking the right to groom herself according to female standards, including the length of her hair and her attire. She would like to use cosmetics and receive hormone treatments “in order to express her female gender,” the suit explains.
Manning’s lawyers stated that she “will suffer continued pain, depression and anxiety…,” all of which can to lead to suicidal inclinations.
Excited that she had been granted the rights to be formally know as Chelsea Elizabeth Manning, she said, “I’ve been working for months for this change, and waiting for years.”
“I requested that the military provide me with a treatment plan consistent with the recognized professional standards of care for trans [gender] health. They quickly evaluated me and informed me that they came up with a proposed treatment plan.
“However, I have not yet seen their treatment plan, and in over eight months, I have not received any response as to whether the plan will be approved or disapproved, or whether it follows the guidelines of qualified health professionals,” Manning said.
The truth is, having never dealt with this type of situation, that the Army has struggled with just how to handle Manning’s situation. Federal prisons have the ability to handle cases of transgender inmates. Military prisons, on the other hand, do not. Technically, a person who is transgender would not even be able to serve in the military.
Manning, according to the Army, is still considered a male and she will continue to be held with male inmates.
Read Chelsea Manning’s ‘The Fog Machine of War.’
By Lorra B. Chief Writer for Silent Soldier
The Silent Soldier 
Hmmm … wow … uhh … geez …
So if the Army does nothing he/she could castrate or even kill him-herself? Sounds okay to me.
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The “I feel like a kitty cat therefore I am a kitty cat” defense doesn’t work for me. He was born a male and is a male — with a sick mind. He committed treason and certainly shouldn’t get an special treatment.
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