Bradley Manning Wants To Live As a Woman

Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "Reuters reports that Bradley Manning, the U.S. soldier sentenced to 35 years in military prison for the biggest breach of classified documents in the nation's history, says he is female and wants to live as a woman named Chelsea. 'As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning, I am a female,' Manning, 25, said in the statement read by anchorwoman Savannah Guthrie on NBC News' "Today" show. 'Given the way that I feel and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible,' Manning said. 'I also request that starting today you refer to me by my new name and use the feminine pronoun.' A psychiatrist, Navy Reserve Captain David Moulton, testified during Manning's trial that Manning suffered from gender dysphoria, or wanting to be the opposite sex, as well as narcissism and obsessive-compulsive disorder."

Comments

Hormone therapy?

[brian0918]

Will they really provide that in prison?

Re:Hormone therapy?

[bill_mcgonigle]

and he/she's going to have problems getting a job with a Dishonorable Discharge. . .

with millions of supporters, this seems highly unlikely.

Re:Hormone therapy?

[bill_mcgonigle]

Hell, it's worth it, you can get free chemo therapy, heart surgery, etc

So, if I'm uninsured and facing major narrowing of the arteries, I can go smoke a joint in a police station and get free heart surgery?

Re:Hormone therapy?

[AlecC]

So, if I'm uninsured and facing major narrowing of the arteries, I can go smoke a joint in a police station and get free heart surgery?

Yes. Somebody did that, Not smoking a joint, but a totally and obviously incompetent armed bank robbery. Go to bank with unloaded gun, hand over "give me the money" note, then drop the gun and surrender. He reckoned that he would have more life after getting out with his medical conditions treated than staying out and dying soon, and uncomfortably, from untreated conditions.

Re:Hormone therapy?

[Hartree]

So, you're saying that having transgender feelings is generally due to torture and insanity?

Do you also think this about gays?

Does that mean you think some sort of "therapy" might cure that since you seem to think it's an illness?

I think you've discredited yourself fairly thoroughly just in one paragraph just by letting what you really think show through.

I know a number of trannies and gays from some of the fandoms I'm in. Let me assure you not all of them are wiggin' loonies. Are some of them? Yes, but so are a lot of heteros. And, most of the hetero loonies I know are a lot more worrisome (in terms of violence especially I've never met a gay or tranny murderer, yet. I know several hetero ones.).

Re:Hormone therapy?

[Anonymous Coward]

You can be sure that some nutcase judge will call it a "human right". and order it be done.

If you have evidence that this is not a legitimate medical condition, then present it. Otherwise, your claim regarding "nutcase judges" is nothing more than childish playground name calling, based not on fact, but on your personal opinion regarding what is and is not a legitimate medical condition.

By the way, how funny would it be if you found yourself in prison, with some medical condition, but a judge denied treatment because it was there personal opinion that your condition was not a legitimate medical condition? Oh, I'm sure it would not be funny for you at all. But for the rest of us, given your feelings on the subject, it'd be hilarious.

Re:Hormone therapy?

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously? As a survivor myself, I simply cannot understand where you are coming from. It's shitty, sure, but shitty things happen to people all the time: car crashes, cancer, burns, torture, war, etc. OK, If I were a vegetable I would probably rather be dead. But even if I had a spinal cord injury or amputation, I don't think I would rather be dead. Life's just too much fun. Granted, I was a kid when it happened, so I've had a lot of time for perspective, but even two years afterwards I didn't have any more suicidal thoughts.

I have a daughter now, too. That's probably the best thing to live for. WTF, hug too much? There's no such thing.

Re:Hormone therapy?

[Smauler]

You ever been raped? You ignorant asshole.

Yes.

Why do you think so many rape victims commit suicide? Even after months or years of therapy and trying to forget?

It's a horrible experience. Some people can't deal with it.

At least if the person is killed, the torment is over.

My torment was over years ago... it was tough getting over it, but I did, and am glad to be alive.

I certainly wish my attacker had been raped in prison, and then killed, so my tax dollars doesn't keep him alive.

I feel nothing but pity for my attacker. He never went to prison, by the way, his punishment was being deported back to his own country. I don't hate him any more, I don't care about him at all. I used to want revenge, but I figured out it was hurting me more than it would hurt him.

If you can't appreciate that, you obviously have no experience in the subject, and can take your self-righteous indignation and shove it up your ass.

I do have experience of this. You're the one with the self righteous indignation. You're the one claiming murder is almost equivalent to rape. I'm a happy, relatively well adjusted person now.

Also, I resent the fact that you imply that no one can comment on the issue unless they have been raped. People are allowed opinions on stuff that has not actually happened to them.

Re:And this is relevant how...?

[Joining Yet Again]

No offence to you, but I don't give a fuck about your opinion. And normally I wouldn't say it, but since you seem to think it's important to tell everyone what you don't care about...

I find Manning's actions and any information about her history which would go toward explaining them both interesting and important. People do not act in a vacuum.

Re:And this is relevant how...?

[ganjadude]

i dont think most people do care, I do think a lot of people care that it would cost american tax payers to have it done. I know thats my issue with it, if he/she wants to be a woman more power to him/her. but dont make me pay for it and dont try and convince me that it is somehow normal.

Re:And this is relevant how...?

[amiga3D]

Because it's controversial and will generate tons of responses and lots of flaming. I don't care what he calls him/herself. It's Jerry Springer stuff and there is enough of that crap on TV so we sure as shit could do without it on a supposed techno/geek site.