Chelsea Manning Denied Transgender Rights in Prison

Chelsea (formerly known as Bradley) Manning’s recent statement that she plans to live life as a woman, and wishes to go through hormone treatment has put transgender rights in focus of this case. As Manning is facing a 35 years in prison for 20 charges of espionage, she is currently held in US military prison, and the facility is not willing to accommodate her wish to receive hormone treatment.

Despite directives from the UN that “everyone deprived of liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person” and further outlining that “sexual orientation and gender identity are integral to each person’s dignity,” Fort Leavenworth prison where Manning is held only offers psychiatric care for its transgender inmates.

The former soldier is sentenced to prison for leaking over 700,000 classified documents to the site Wikileaks in 2010 and has already spent 1294 days in military custody. While the prosecutors were asking for a sentence of at least 60 years, the 35 given is still considered harsh. The maximum sentence would have been 90 years. However, due to her good behaviour in custody, Manning can be released on parole as early as 2021.