One of the more complicated legal cases involving LGBT issues is that involving Chelsea Manning, who first came into the public eye when she was still going by the name given to her at birth which was Bradley Manning.
Manning was enlisted in the armed forces as an intelligence analyst in 2009, a job which allowed her access to classified databases. In January 2010, she downloaded approximately 700,000 classified documents to WikiLeaks which resulted in her arrest in May of the same year. Manning was charged with 22 offenses, the most serious being aiding the enemy, which would have resulted in a death sentence. Manning was ultimately convicted of 17 of the original charges and amendments of the remaining 4 on July 30, 2013 and is currently serving 35 years in a maximum-security U.S disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth.
Whether Manning should be incarcerated for exposing the truth is not the point of this article. Since being arrested, she has struggled continuously with having access to necessary resources. Her tumultuous transition from Bradley to Chelsea is also controversial. Manning had made multiple requests for hormone treatment that went unanswered, finally resulting in a 2014 lawsuit against the federal government. She stated in the filing:
"It has now been more than four years since I was first diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a condition that I have struggled with my entire life, I do not believe I will be able to survive another year or two — let alone twenty to thirty years — without treatment.
During her initial hearing, she was defended by David Coombs who had been Manning’s attorney previously. He referred to the blatant denial of treatment as cruel and unusual punishment. According to World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s Standards of Care, hormone replacement therapy is one of the most recommended treatments for gender dysphoria. This idea is also backed by the American Medical Association. Reports claimed that Manning was at risk for self-castration or suicide if she didn’t receive more focused treatment.
Despite all the signs pointing to treatment, the Army was hesitant to provide any because of a regulation that states any kind of transition-related treatment or even the diagnosis of gender dysphoria should result in a discharge. Since Manning is being held against her will and isn’t technically in the Army, the government was faced with the decision to either follow the regulation by denying treatment and contributing to Manning’s obvious mental distress or amend their policy.
In February of this year, the defense department finally granted permission for hormone therapy. Manning is the first military prisoner to ever request this treatment. Although her name was legally changed in April of 2014, it wasn’t until about a month following the decision to allow her to undergo gender-reassignment treatments that the military courts are finally recognized Manning by her preferred name and pronouns. The court has ruled that all future references to Manning will be made in the feminine or with gender-neutral titles such as ‘Private First Class Manning.’
Chelsea Manning is finally being recognized for who she truly is. I believe this is a giant step towards transgender equality. The United States military has been able to see its error, at least in regard to its treatment of Manning’s identity. Technically Chelsea Manning is guilty of breaking the law and is doing her time for the crime, but no one deserves to feel trapped within her own body. The fact that the Army, an institution focused on destruction, was able to adapt its policies in order to grant acknowledgement and respect to an individual struggling with identity issues has to be some kind of sign that people are capable of understanding the importance of true self-expression. Hopefully this case can open the eyes of people who still do not acknowledge this importance.
