I don't care if he wants to become a girl, but he should wait until his/her time is served.
I wonder if military prisons are monitored/protected any better than civilian prisons when it comes to that 'other' stuff.
Gender identity disorder / gender dysphoria is a genuine medical condition classified in the DSM (IV and V). For many sufferers it is not a matter of simple "wanting" to change their gender.
If you accept that gender dysphoria is a medical condition (as most in the medical and mental health professions have), then the question becomes "should prisoners receive treatment for it?"
I would argue that yes, they should. But I live in a country with socialised medicine, where healthcare is provided to all free of charge (including treatment for gender dysphoria). In my mind, being imprisoned deprives you of liberty, but not the right to free healthcare. I imagine many people in America would feel differently - "why", they might say, "should a prisoner get treated for free when I can't afford my own medical bills?".
That said, it's not totally clear to me that taxpayers would be paying for Chelsea Manning's treatment? I couldn't find any reference to it in her letter, merely that she hopes to begin hormone treatment shortly.
Also, I don't really see where there is spending involved. Even if there were, the amount would be insignificant to even care about. There is much more waste elsewhere in the system.
Last but not least, this guy shouldn't even be serving the sentence he is.
*Feel free to replace girl with another appropriate feminine noun, I know some people consider it diminutive but it's probably the closest alternative to guy I can think of right this moment.
That said, if he wants to be recognized as a woman, that means he wants to be placed in prison with other women, which is clearly an issue. IMO the military has no choice but to place him in a male facility and call him whatever he wants to be called.
I was in the military, so I'm quite aware of the programs they offer. My point, if you'll read it, is that Manning no longer qualifies for those benefits, and that said benefits should not be offered by the prison system.
a) it is not essential for the job (they pull teeth instead of fix them for crying out loud) b) this is typically something that would lead to a medical discharge and in some cases, dishonorable discharge because it wasn't listed in the health questionnaire at time of application.
My argument against this is that I believe prisons should only be held responsible for keeping people safe, sane, and secure. If it is deemed that HRT is necessary for keeping him sane, then I might change my stance.
I find these (spammy) posts annoying also, but what does his/her orientation have to do with anything?