In May, the Army made an unprecedented move, applying to transfer Private Chelsea Manning to a civilian prison to begin hormone therapy. The Defense Department said the transfer was necessary as it does not provide the treatment (or allow transgender people to serve openly), and Manning can’t be be discharged from the military while serving her 35-year prison sentence. A defense official said on Thursday that the Bureau of Prisons rejected the request, so the Army will begin Manning’s treatment. That may include wearing some female clothing, but it’s unclear what the Army will allow beyond that. “It has been almost a year since we first filed our request for adequate medical care,” said David Coombs, Manning’s lawyer. “I am hopeful that when the Army says it will start a ‘rudimentary level’ of treatment that this means hormone replacement therapy.” If not, Manning intends to take “appropriate legal action.”
