WikiLeaks guy wants a sex change?

Removed by me to avoid the train wreck three pages from now.

Move along, nothing to see here.

It will make him even more popular in the big house.

Soup sandwich.

You know, you couldn't make this stuff up in your wildest dreams..

I had to read it 3 times in my RSS reader to make sure it was not a headline from The Onion.

914Driver wrote: Even the baddest gang banger, drug dealer, murderer, baby raper is still patriotic, maybe he would fare better as a woman.

Aaaand that's my cue to leave before I flounder this thread myself.

1) It's been widely known since the beginning of his identification as a source. This isn't new information.

2) It's not something to be taken in jest. A healthy number of individuals don't identify with their birth-gender; some of them choose to pursue gender-change. Several states already have the legal framework to make this happen, including non-discriminatory laws.

This happens more often than you'd think and affects some of us directly.

I don't think it's funny in itself but the timing certainly is, it was news to me.

BUT, he had almost zero defense, so they came up with gender identity issues and related abuse as a plausible defense. I wonder how sincere this really is. And while I certainly feel for anyone facing such a conflict, but why would it make you betray your country?

914Driver wrote: That title does dound kind of canoe-ish .... Not floundering either. The man has this desire to be a woman since childhood, but announces it only 24 hours after they send him to jail for 35 years. The Army doesn't pay for that, his lawyer is fighting. Even the baddest gang banger, drug dealer, murderer, baby raper is still patriotic, maybe he would fare better as a woman. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/10259509/Bradley-Manning-wants-to-live-as-a-woman-called-Chelsea.html

It had actually come out quite a bit in his trial and pre-trial discussions, this is nothing new.

PS: I don't expect many gang bangers, drug dealers or murderers at Leavenworth.

Pretty sure Julius and Ethel Rosenberg would agree that gender doesn't really change the punishment.

So, that whole don't ask don't tell -> allow open homosexuality thing has worked out fine for us then, right?

davidjs wrote: PS: I don't expect many gang bangers, drug dealers or murderers at Leavenworth.

Would he go to Leavenworth with psychiatric issues, or somewhere else?

The Military is a slice of society. Got bad guys, homosexuals, thieves? They're also in the Military.

Dr. Hess wrote: So, that whole don't ask don't tell -> allow open homosexuality thing has worked out fine for us then, right?

It's working out fine in my service. I haven't heard many problems from the others, either.

Hello, Original Poster here.

My thoughts were on the timimg of Mr.Manning's decision. I had no intent on making a comment on lifestyle, sexuality or how happy you are.

I don't care.

Dr. Hess wrote: So, that whole don't ask don't tell -> allow open homosexuality thing has worked out fine for us then, right?

One might argue that if Bradley hadn't had to hide this information, it would not have lead to the stresses during his overseas assignment...

914Driver wrote:

davidjs wrote: PS: I don't expect many gang bangers, drug dealers or murderers at Leavenworth.

Would he go to Leavenworth with psychiatric issues, or somewhere else? The Military is a slice of society. Got bad guys, homosexuals, thieves? They're also in the Military.

I'm not sure, I thought Leavenworth was the primary "long term" military prison, and since he was primarily found guilty, this would be more of a medical treatment there...

Dr. Hess wrote: So, that whole don't ask don't tell -> allow open homosexuality thing has worked out fine for us then, right?

The Dr comment is a bit confusing here. He could be saying that don't ask don't tell is clearly not as good as open homosexuality. ( using the greater than sign and sarcasm)

Or is he saying, going from (that's an arrow) DADT to open has made it worse? (again using sarcasm)

Not sure. Sometimes figuring out what people mean when they type can be difficult (especially when there is sarcasm involved and inflection is missing)

Zerohedge said: Bad News For Chelsea E. Manning: US Army Won't Provide Hormones, Sex-Reassignment Surgery Submitted by Tyler Durden on 08/22/2013 10:03 -0400 Some bad news for Pvt. Bradley Chelsea Manning, who was sentenced to spend 35 years in male prison: U.S. ARMY SAYS IT DOES NOT PROVIDE HORMONES OR SEX-REASSIGNMENT SURGERY AFTER WIKILEAKS CONVICT BRADLEY MANNING SAYS HE WANTS TO LIVE AS A WOMAN Well, there goes that approach: it seems Chelsea's debut was short-lived. It is still unclear if the US Army will provide [him|her] with vaseline.

Not to mention that homosexuality and trans-gender are two entirely separate things.

News reports suggest that Ms. Manning will serve about 7 more years in prison, in addition to the time (s)he has already served. I'm not smart enough to know if that is outrageously too much... or outrageously too little. Whether she gets gender reassignment counseling during that time is of no concern to me.

The first thing that popped in to my head when I heard that he apologized... funnier now, with this revelation:

"He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark moustache. O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother."

914Driver wrote: Hello, Original Poster here. My thoughts were on the timimg of Mr.Manning's decision. I had no intent on making a comment on lifestyle, sexuality or how happy you are. I don't care.

Well since you don't care about my happiness...maybe he is using this to get a free snip snip on your and my dime. Or maybe he is doing this to get put in a mental institution instead of Leavenworth.

First time I ever saw a video of him, I thought he was an angry little gay guy. I think they (TV network) had already outed him.

davidjs wrote:

Dr. Hess wrote: So, that whole don't ask don't tell -> allow open homosexuality thing has worked out fine for us then, right?

One might argue that if Bradley hadn't had to hide this information, it would not have lead to the stresses during his overseas assignment...

His stresses began long before his military service. Well documented.

Your implication that the US Military policy on the issue created the stresses which led to his improprieties doesn't hold water in this case.

The far better question is why the Military gave him the security clearances they did when he was obviously struggling with a lot of issues that could affect his ability to make reasoned decisions at this time.

bludroptop wrote: Not to mention that homosexuality and trans-gender are two entirely separate things.

That's true, but Manning lived for years as an openly gay man, so in this case, neither title is technically incorrect.

So he wants a peniplasti and wants the gubment to pay for it? I hope he is sure of his decision. Surgery is temporary, hap-penis is forever!

So, he's going to the Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth? Good. I got to tour the old one in the early '90's, and it seemed a pretty serious place.

The Federal Penitentiary outside wasn't much nicer.