The Pentagon may transfer Private
Chelsea Manning to a civilian prison so she can begin gender
treatment.
According to The
New York Times, the Amy has already submitted the request to
the Defense Department.
Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John F.
Kirby said that a request from the Army to “evaluate potential
treatment options for inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria” has
been approved by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
Last year, Manning, formerly Bradley
Manning, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for sending more than
700,000 classified documents to WikiLeaks. While serving her prison
sentence, Manning cannot be discharged from the Army, which prohibits
transgender service members from serving openly, the AP reported.
Speaking to reporters in Jidda, Saudi
Arabia, Kirby said that any decision to transfer Manning would
“properly balance the soldier's medical needs with our obligation
to ensure Private Manning remains behind bars.”
On Sunday, Hagel
said he was “open” to reviewing the military's ban on transgender
service.