Chelsea Manning – formerly known as Bradley Manning – is serving 35 years behind bars for releasing confidential documents and videos to WikiLeaks. At her court martial, she was found guilty of espionage after revealing war crimes that had been committed by the U.S. military both in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Chelsea Manning launched a hunger strike against her treatment

Manning has suffered solitary confinement at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan. and in fact, recently tried to take her own life. She launched a hunger strike on September 9 to protest against her treatment in the prison and to demand the gender transition surgery she needs.

Finally, according to her attorney, Chase Strangio, Manning will be able to undergo the gender transition surgery her psychologist has recommended she receive.

Strangio provided a statement by Manning to Buzzfeed, where she said she is relieved that the military has come around to doing the right thing for her. She said she applauds them for that and that this is all she had wanted – to be allowed to be herself. She launched the hunger strike because she had not been allowed to receive treatment for her gender dysphoria, but also for the bullying treatment she gets from the military and prison authorities.

Manning has been behind bars for six years now and says she asked them many times for help over that period, while confined in five different locations.

According to Chelsea her request was ignored, mocked, delayed and only given lip service by the military, the prison and the administration. Manning added that until she is shown dignity and respect as a human being, she will endure the pain before her.

Military will now provide Chelsea Manning with appropriate treatment

According to Strangio on Tuesday, Manning has now received written assurances from the Army, that all the medically prescribed recommendations will be followed, including the gender transitioning surgery.

This apparently falls under the Department of Defense’s regulations relating to in-service transition for Transgender members of the service. Under the particular regulations, if a service member has a diagnosis from a military medical provider to indicate that gender transition is necessary, that service member will be provided with suitable medical care and treatment.

Strangio continued by saying that now the government has recognized its constitutional obligation to Manning, they hope authorities will act quickly to ensure her suffering does not continue needlessly.

No date set as yet for the surgery

According to a report by USA Today, there is so far no timeline set for Manning’s surgery but she will, reportedly, meet with her doctors over the next week or two. However, while the current news is good for Chelsea, there is still the matter of her suicide attempt in July, which could lead to further charges against the Whistleblower, including the fact that she may spend the rest of her 35-year sentence behind bars, suffering in solitary confinement. However, the report does say Manning becomes eligible for parole in around six years.
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