Bradley Manning is the first transgender military inmate to ask for hormone treatments, officials say, a request that could lead to a legal showdown over how — and if — the soldier convicted in the WikiLeaks case will be allowed to live as a female behind bars.
Current Pentagon policy dictates that transgender soldiers are not allowed to serve, and Manning won’t be discharged until being released from prison and all appeals are exhausted. Furthermore, the military does not allow soldiers to undergo hormone treatments while in the all-male prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. — though this is the first time officials have heard of a request for such treatment, said Maria Tolleson, a spokeswoman with the Army Medical Command in Arlington, Va.
I don’t see what harm could be done by making Bradsea Manning wait until s/he’s served his’er prison sentence before undergoing any gender reassignment procedures.
S/he’s been a man for twenty-some years and s/he’ll be out in eight, if s/he’s well-behaved. And in the meantime, s/he’ll be under close supervision, preventing most forms of self-mutilation that s/he might want resort to in response to his’er lack of happiness with his’er masculinity.
And, frankly, regardless of how I feel about Chelley Manning and WikiLeaks, I don’t want my tax dollars paying for a purely elective gender reassignment procedure when s/he’s been found guilty of espionage and dishonorably discharged from the military.
Several years back, I worked with a client diagnosed with gender identity disorder who was in the process of gender reassignment. This necessitated me researching the “nuts and bolts” of gender reassignment surgeries and the various options.
I’m pretty sure one of my testicles has yet to fully descend to its original position.
Manning enlisted as a male, was convicted as a male and imprisoned as a male. He can serve his 35 year sentence as a male. Our tax dollars should not be spent on hormone treatments or surgery. Once Manning is released from prison, he can spend his own money to do whatever he likes.
I am a big proponent of LGBT rights, everyone on here I have argues with know that.
However I find myself in agreement with this statement. It is not the place of the government to pay for or supplement the surgery. If Manning had already underwent treatment I could see an argument for different housing, etc. But that is not the case here.
You might want to research that. I have seen a very small number of prisoners have their sentences commuted by the convening authority while serving them. I am unfamiliar with any military prisoners receiving an early release for good behavior. When they get a sentence, they serve it. Federal time off for good conduct or good behavior is different than military prison or brig time off. They are complete separate prisons and rules.
I am not sure if this have changed in the last 30-40 years. But back then, bad behavior got you into the brig, and good behavior was expected while there. It was not rewarded with early release.
It may have changed, but a web search I did did not lead me to believe it has.
I made the huge mistake of actually watching a documentary which included a story about sex change where they split a penis, jammed it up into the cavity with what looked like a shoehorn and fashioned a vagina. It actually chilled me to my very core.
I have not fully recovered and I think this is part of why I have such a tremendous porn collection full of actual, completely normal vaginas.
Absolutely. Whether you consider it deviance or deliverance, this man has no right to insist on anything until he has paid his debt to society. None. I do not support special rights based upon sexual orientation, and I certainly do not support elective crotch mods at taxpayer expense; especially for a convicted criminal who is serving time.
It is a he, not a she. His name is Bradley, not Chelsea. The rest of this is pure white noise, intended to open the door to special privilege and so-called fulfillment that is neither necessary nor deserved. What the kid did was wrong, and the fact that he might wish to be something or someone else is completely irrelevant.
Get this traitorous naif out of the news, and into a cell. With a bit of luck, he can play housewife there just as much as he likes.
I heard it on NPR on my way home this past week that whoever could get out in eight-and-a-half years with good behavior, IIRC (and it appears that I don’t).
“Manning must serve at least one-third of any prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole.” Source: The Guardian
Sounds like the person might be able to paroled as early as 2021, assuming his’er sentence is not reduced during the appeals process or (unlikely) s/he is pardoned.
My position as well. GID is a real problem. However he has made it this far, he can make till release with counseling. Besides after he gets out he will have “celebrity” status and someone will pony the cash for the surgery post haste. Expect multiple suicide attempts between now and then.
