Chelsea Manning, born Bradley Manning, gets U.S. Army OK for hormone therapy

Chelsea Manning — the Army private who was born Bradley Edward Manning and was convicted during his service of leaking national security secrets — has been given the thumbs-up from military officials to undergo hormone therapy and become a woman.

Currently, the disgraced soldier is serving time at the Army’s Fort Leavenworth prison for leaking the secrets to WikiLeaks.

“After carefully considering the recommendation that [hormone treatment] is medically appropriate and necessary, and weighing all associated safety and security risks presented, I approve adding [hormone treatment] to Inmate Manning’s treatment plan,” said Col. Erica Nelson, the commandant of the Fort Leavenworth Disciplinary Barracks in Kansas, in a Feb. 5 memo obtained by USA Today.

Attorneys for the soon-to-be Ms. Manning had sued the federal government for the hormone treatment. The U.S. military and the Defense Department do not allow or provide such treatment during service; the Department of Veterans Affairs, however, does, USA Today reported.

Supporters of the military’s decision say the hormone treatment is akin to providing another soldier with care for a heart attack.

“If [an inmate] has a heart attack, they have to treat that, too,” Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said in the USA Today report. “This is no different.”