Army to Give Chelsea Manning Gender Treatment

The private formerly known as Bradley Manning is about to become the first person ever given gender reassignment treatment by the US military. The federal Bureau of Prisons has rejected the Army's request to transfer Chelsea Manning to a civilian prison, and defense officials say Manning will instead receive "rudimentary" gender treatment while in military custody, reports the AP, which notes that initial treatments could include allowing Manning to wear female undergarments. It's not clear when or if Manning will be transferred from an all-male prison to a female one.

"It has been almost a year since we first filed our request for adequate medical care," Manning's lawyer says. "I am hopeful that when the Army says it will start a 'rudimentary level' of treatment that this means hormone replacement therapy." The treatment will raise a few issues for the military, the BBC notes. The Pentagon bans transgender people from serving openly, but Manning will not be discharged from the military until she finishes her sentence. She was sentenced to 35 years for passing classified documents to WikiLeaks and will be eligible for parole in about six years.