Chelsea Manning will lose entitlement to transgender health care

Chelsea Manning is set to be released from prison on May 17 after Obama commuted her 35-year sentence earlier this week.

However, according to NewNowNext, Manning will lose access to her transgender health care by leaving prison.

Manning will receive a “dishonourable discharge” and therefore lose her entitlement to military benefits, including gender-affirming surgery.

Manning announced her transition to female in 2013 after she was imprisoned in Fort Leavenworth military prison in 2010 for leaking details of classified government documents to WikiLeaks.

During her time in prison, Manning requested to be allowed gender treatment.

She attempted to take her own life and embarked on a hunger strike over the issue until the military agreed to pay for her gender-affirming surgery under the Pentagon’s new policy for transgender troops.

Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith revealed the news, saying: “If Pvt. Manning is discharged with a dishonourable discharge, she will lose her entitlement to benefits, including gender-transition care at [military] medical treatment facilities.”

Manning can appeal the ruling, but if she loses she will be dishonourably discharged.

After her sentence was commuted, Manning took to Twitter to thank Obama and wrote, “Thank you Barack OBama for giving me a chance.”

Thank you @BarackObama for giving me a chance. =,)

— Chelsea Manning (@xychelsea) January 19, 2017

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