What do Chelsea Manning treatments mean for transgender troops?

The Christian Science Monitor's DC Decoder ^ | February 14, 2015 | Anna Mulrine

[2ndDivisionVet]

The Pentagon appeared to go against its own policy in allowing transgender treatments for Chelsea Manning. The decision points to changes at the Pentagon on the issue, activists say, but none that are seismic.

Chelsea Manning, a United States Army soldier serving a 35-year sentence for her role in providing classified documents to WikiLeaks, will now be able to receive hormone therapy at Fort Leavenworth.

It represents a considerable shift for the US military to provide this treatment for Ms. Manning, who identifies as transgender and sued the government to be able to have access to the hormone therapy in order to transition from a man, formerly known as Bradley, to a woman.

The decision speaks to changes that advocacy groups say they see at the Pentagon....

[2ndDivisionVet]

Overwhelming us with incessant, rapid change. Saul Alinsky style chaos.

[KC_Lion]

What do Chelsea Manning treatments mean for transgender troops?

[Dogbert41]

Hope and Change.

[M-cubed]

I remember back in Viet Nam when the Army frowned on cutting ears and penis's off of dead men....Now they sanction it off of live men!...I'm confused...

[digger48]

"her role"

Can't anybody refer to the little freak correctly?

[rottndog]

ANY confused ‘transgender’ who didn’t disclose their condition prior to enlistment, are guilty under the UCMJ of Fraudulent Enlistment, and needs to be prosecuted and discharged. Otherwise, anyone who wants to be ‘converted’ at no cost can join the Military and demand it.

[digger48]

Chase Strangio, Manning’s attorney

Perfect name

[ClearCase_guy]

I was under the impression that the military was very strict about soldiers who needed to take prescription medicine. I'm not sure where they draw the line -- ritalin, prozac. acutane, etc. But in general, I thought that if the soldier were "medicated" and if Reductions In Force were needed, then the soldier with the prescriptions was likely to be forced out.

But some freakshow needing a battery of hormone replacements is just the kind of soldier they''re looking for?

[oblomov]

Hormone therapy for trangenders in now considered “medically necessary”.

Kind of how trepanation and icepick lobotomy once were as well.

[molson209]

It will be a case of Torture in the future

[headstamp 2]

I guess the Army has decided to foster his mental illness.

[DemforBush]

“Ms. Manning, who identifies as transgender”

I identify him as a traitor.

[John S Mosby]

Hormone treatment is not sex change. The “troops” are not per se, extended this special therapy without a serious amount of psych examination, long before which they will be discharged.

[cdcdawg]

Rest assured, it is they who are confused, not you. It’s them.

[2CAVTrooper]

The real reason why Bradley is doing a sex change is so that he’s not in general pop with the other guys at Leavenworth. If he was in general pop, he’d be shanked within the week.

[M-cubed]

Thanks for even acknowledging the dilemma.....I’m good with it now...In my own mind at least....