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Chelsea Manning battled complex system to transition in prison : NPR

chelsea manning

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This story is part of a series that looks at transgender inmates in the United States and the challenges they face in confinement and upon release. This series focuses on topics such as: Incarcerated in a prison that does not reflect the inmate’s gender identity, medical hurdles faced in prison and Re-containment after releaseThe series includes numerous interviews with inmates, experts and civil servants.

Chelsea Manning has described many things in her life: Soldier. Hacker. Criminal. Whistleblower. traitor.

The 35-year-old is perhaps best known for leaking hundreds of thousands of military and diplomatic records on Iraq and Afghanistan. War with WikiLeaks in 2010This is believed to be the largest unauthorized leak of classified material in US history.

She spent seven years in prison for that leak.

And while incarcerated, she transitioned.Despite her notoriety at the time, Manning faced many of the same struggles What other transgender prisoners in the United States deal with.

Manning told NPR that she and her attorney deal with a wide variety of complex government agencies, including the Federal Prison Service, the U.S. Department of Defense, federal prisons, local prisons, and various courts. All of this has led prisoners of all kinds to look to a system set up to fail, she said.

“How do you navigate these sometimes Byzantine administrative structures to figure out who to contact and who to complain about?” Manning said. “Ordinary people can’t win. That’s the blunt truth.”

Manning was incarcerated with a man at the Midwestern Joint Regional Correctional Facility in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. As she began her transition, she demanded gender-affirming care for her. she was rejected.

It exacerbated Manning’s diagnosed gender dysphoria and mental health problems while incarcerated, she and her lawyers claimed at the time. According to Manning, even though they knew what could help alleviate these symptoms, prison officials in her case did nothing. This is something that many prisoners in prisons deal with on a regular basis.

Prison officials “don’t care. They’re there to protect the prison and the workers and employees, not the inmates. They’re not there to defend the inmates.” said Manning.

According to research, imprisoned individual They are more likely than the general public to deal with chronic health problems. Access to appropriate treatment is unreliable. In Manning’s case, she received gender reassignment care for the first time after her lawsuit.

Manning’s first lawsuit against the United States was filed in September 2014. Manning was even forced to claim access to adequate care during his second incarceration in 2019 in a separate case.

A look back at Manning’s legal battle

In July 2013, Manning was found guilty of leaking government records and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

A month later, she publicly announced she was transgender and sought hormone therapy. She also asked for permission to grow her hair and access items that help her express her gender identity, such as cosmetics.

In Manning’s case, because she was in the military, the Department of Defense, not the Federal Prison Service, was ultimately responsible for her detention.

Manning said he encountered outright hostility from top officials at the Pentagon. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel at the time dead name Manning and he/his pronouns used to refer to her, she wrote in her memoirs, README.txt.

The Department of Defense did not respond to NPR’s request for comment.

Chelsea Manning was held in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, filmed in 2009.

Charlie Riedel/AP


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Chelsea Manning was held in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, filmed in 2009.

Charlie Riedel/AP

Military doctors diagnosed Manning with gender dysphoria. nevertheless, The American Civil Liberties Union said The military response to Manning’s request for treatment for this diagnosis was, “We do not offer hormone therapy or gender reassignment surgery for gender identity disorder.”

If inmates are dissatisfied with the way they are being treated, they The first step is usually to file a complaintThere is typically an internal appeals process within each facility. That process needs to be exhausted before a person can file a lawsuit.

“These administrative methods slow things down, and are used as an excuse before going to court,” Manning said. ”

Many incarcerated or previously incarcerated individuals talked to NPR He echoed Manning’s remarks that the process was exhausting, confusing, and often resulted in no change.

Manning wrote of the battle in his memoirs:

In December 2014, I successfully requested access to cosmetics. The Department of Defense finally made a decision on whether or not I should be allowed to use lipstick. Still, it felt like a humiliating compromise, a stopgap measure that didn’t address the underlying underlying issues.

In 2015, after a year of litigation, the US government relented and allowed Manning to begin hormone therapy. According to ACLUwhich made Manning the first individual to receive gender reassignment-related health care while in a military prison.

Manning told NPR she knew federal opposition was futile because precedent, regulation and doctors were on her side.

“The hangup wasn’t with the medical authorities. The hangup wasn’t with the regulatory infrastructure. The hangup was that they didn’t want to do it,” she said.

When word arrived that Manning had won her legal battle, she found that the men imprisoned with her were ecstatic that “one of them” had successfully fought the system. rice field.

“The inmates were just thrilled to see them ask for something, fight for it, and win. That rarely happens,” she said.

Then, according to Manning, fellow inmates began demanding that the prison address their medical needs, which they had been denied care for.

“They started fighting for it, which was very encouraging and very positive for the inmates,” she said.

Manning said her case was also “a watershed moment for the military.”

But she’s quick to point out that she’s not the first transgender to fight and win for access to health care and gender-affirming treatment in prison.

she, 1989 U.S. Supreme Court Dee Farmer Case, a trans woman imprisoned in a male institution. That decision has been frequently used by prisoners who challenge their treatment.

Photographed in 2022, Chelsea Manning spoke to NPR about her experience transitioning while incarcerated.

AFP via Dirk Waem/Belga Mag/Getty Images


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AFP via Dirk Waem/Belga Mag/Getty Images

Hurt by the Legal System – Again

Manning’s legal disputes with the U.S. government and military in 2014 won’t be the last time she will have to pressure authorities to address her health care needs as a trans woman.

Two years after being released from prison in 2017, Manning was jailed again after President Barack Obama commuted her sentence.this time it’s over her refusal to testify before a federal grand jury A case involving WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange.

Manning said that at the time of the incident, she had just undergone gender reassignment surgery. It was interrupted in stages and then affected post-operative care, she says.

“Even though the Department of Justice said there was no problem with this, the moment we were put in prison, it immediately became a problem,” she said.

Dr. Huang Liang, medical director of the Johns Hopkins Transgender and Gender Expansive Health Center, said: Maintaining good follow-up care is important for patients undergoing gender reassignment surgery.

“It’s especially important to have adequate resources for postoperative follow-up care and to be in an environment that is safe and supportive,” Liang said.

The fight to get the Alexandria prison to accommodate Manning’s needs also involved the Department of Justice and the Federal Marshals Service. Under custody where she was remanded.

Her attorneys expressed their concerns to the judge at a hearing in May 2019, according to court documents. They are prison staff The health needs of trans women and the inability of Manning to receive proper care quickly enough.

“It appears that at least some of the complications Chelsea experienced were due to questionable prison hygiene and Chelsea’s own failure to manage her daily post-surgery regimen.” Attorney Moira Meltzer-Cohen, who represented Manning at the time, said: court.

Manning’s lack of control over post-surgery health care was something officials were unwilling to change, Meltzer-Cohen said at the time.

The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, which is in charge of the facility where Manning was held, told NPR it is confident Manning “received necessary and appropriate medical care” while in custody.

The office said all inmate treatment and medication must first be reviewed by the facility’s medical team. , a judge may order specific treatment for those individuals.

“Medical care at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center Practices are consistent with and comply with national standards.Most recently, the National Board of Correctional Medicine recertified our facility After confirming 100% compliance with all applicable mandatory standards,” the Secretariat said in a statement.

The US Marshals Service did not respond to NPR’s request for comment.

Manning said the delays she encountered while imprisoned in Alexandria until 2020 were finally dealt with, but it left her with long-term health consequences.

Manning knows her treatment as a trans woman is an example of how poor prisons and jails are at addressing the medical needs of all prisoners, including the lack thereof.

“Prisons don’t prioritize medical care in prisons,” she said.

Although she said she had strong legal representation, it was still incredibly difficult for her and sometimes her lawyers to navigate the confusing regulations and policies.

She asked how someone without formal education or proper support could fight back.

Manning said her experience “shows the need for stronger protections, not only in terms of transgender care, but for prisoners and their access to care in general. It benefits people.”

Summarize this content to 100 words chelsea manning Matt Barnes/Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publisher hide caption toggle caption Matt Barnes/Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publisher This story is part of a series that looks at transgender inmates in the United States and the challenges they face in confinement and upon release. This series focuses on topics such as: Incarcerated in a prison that does not reflect the inmate’s gender identity, medical hurdles faced in prison and Re-containment after releaseThe series includes numerous interviews with inmates, experts and civil servants. Chelsea Manning has described many things in her life: Soldier. Hacker. Criminal. Whistleblower. traitor. The 35-year-old is perhaps best known for leaking hundreds of thousands of military and diplomatic records on Iraq and Afghanistan. War with WikiLeaks in 2010This is believed to be the largest unauthorized leak of classified material in US history. She spent seven years in prison for that leak. And while incarcerated, she transitioned.Despite her notoriety at the time, Manning faced many of the same struggles What other transgender prisoners in the United States deal with. Manning told NPR that she and her attorney deal with a wide variety of complex government agencies, including the Federal Prison Service, the U.S. Department of Defense, federal prisons, local prisons, and various courts. All of this has led prisoners of all kinds to look to a system set up to fail, she said. “How do you navigate these sometimes Byzantine administrative structures to figure out who to contact and who to complain about?” Manning said. “Ordinary people can’t win. That’s the blunt truth.” Manning was incarcerated with a man at the Midwestern Joint Regional Correctional Facility in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. As she began her transition, she demanded gender-affirming care for her. she was rejected. It exacerbated Manning’s diagnosed gender dysphoria and mental health problems while incarcerated, she and her lawyers claimed at the time. According to Manning, even though they knew what could help alleviate these symptoms, prison officials in her case did nothing. This is something that many prisoners in prisons deal with on a regular basis. Prison officials “don’t care. They’re there to protect the prison and the workers and employees, not the inmates. They’re not there to defend the inmates.” said Manning. According to research, imprisoned individual They are more likely than the general public to deal with chronic health problems. Access to appropriate treatment is unreliable. In Manning’s case, she received gender reassignment care for the first time after her lawsuit. Manning’s first lawsuit against the United States was filed in September 2014. Manning was even forced to claim access to adequate care during his second incarceration in 2019 in a separate case. A look back at Manning’s legal battle In July 2013, Manning was found guilty of leaking government records and sentenced to 35 years in prison. A month later, she publicly announced she was transgender and sought hormone therapy. She also asked for permission to grow her hair and access items that help her express her gender identity, such as cosmetics. In Manning’s case, because she was in the military, the Department of Defense, not the Federal Prison Service, was ultimately responsible for her detention. Manning said he encountered outright hostility from top officials at the Pentagon. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel at the time dead name Manning and he/his pronouns used to refer to her, she wrote in her memoirs, README.txt. The Department of Defense did not respond to NPR’s request for comment. Chelsea Manning was held in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, filmed in 2009. Charlie Riedel/AP hide caption toggle caption Charlie Riedel/AP Chelsea Manning was held in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, filmed in 2009. Charlie Riedel/AP Military doctors diagnosed Manning with gender dysphoria. nevertheless, The American Civil Liberties Union said The military response to Manning’s request for treatment for this diagnosis was, “We do not offer hormone therapy or gender reassignment surgery for gender identity disorder.” If inmates are dissatisfied with the way they are being treated, they The first step is usually to file a complaintThere is typically an internal appeals process within each facility. That process needs to be exhausted before a person can file a lawsuit. “These administrative methods slow things down, and are used as an excuse before going to court,” Manning said. ” Many incarcerated or previously incarcerated individuals talked to NPR He echoed Manning’s remarks that the process was exhausting, confusing, and often resulted in no change. Manning wrote of the battle in his memoirs: In December 2014, I successfully requested access to cosmetics. The Department of Defense finally made a decision on whether or not I should be allowed to use lipstick. Still, it felt like a humiliating compromise, a stopgap measure that didn’t address the underlying underlying issues. In 2015, after a year of litigation, the US government relented and allowed Manning to begin hormone therapy. According to ACLUwhich made Manning the first individual to receive gender reassignment-related health care while in a military prison. Manning told NPR she knew federal opposition was futile because precedent, regulation and doctors were on her side. “The hangup wasn’t with the medical authorities. The hangup wasn’t with the regulatory infrastructure. The hangup was that they didn’t want to do it,” she said. When word arrived that Manning had won her legal battle, she found that the men imprisoned with her were ecstatic that “one of them” had successfully fought the system. rice field. “The inmates were just thrilled to see them ask for something, fight for it, and win. That rarely happens,” she said. Then, according to Manning, fellow inmates began demanding that the prison address their medical needs, which they had been denied care for. “They started fighting for it, which was very encouraging and very positive for the inmates,” she said. Manning said her case was also “a watershed moment for the military.” But she’s quick to point out that she’s not the first transgender to fight and win for access to health care and gender-affirming treatment in prison. she, 1989 U.S. Supreme Court Dee Farmer Case, a trans woman imprisoned in a male institution. That decision has been frequently used by prisoners who challenge their treatment. Photographed in 2022, Chelsea Manning spoke to NPR about her experience transitioning while incarcerated. AFP via Dirk Waem/Belga Mag/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption AFP via Dirk Waem/Belga Mag/Getty Images Hurt by the Legal System – Again Manning’s legal disputes with the U.S. government and military in 2014 won’t be the last time she will have to pressure authorities to address her health care needs as a trans woman. Two years after being released from prison in 2017, Manning was jailed again after President Barack Obama commuted her sentence.this time it’s over her refusal to testify before a federal grand jury A case involving WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange. Manning said that at the time of the incident, she had just undergone gender reassignment surgery. It was interrupted in stages and then affected post-operative care, she says. “Even though the Department of Justice said there was no problem with this, the moment we were put in prison, it immediately became a problem,” she said. Dr. Huang Liang, medical director of the Johns Hopkins Transgender and Gender Expansive Health Center, said: Maintaining good follow-up care is important for patients undergoing gender reassignment surgery. “It’s especially important to have adequate resources for postoperative follow-up care and to be in an environment that is safe and supportive,” Liang said. The fight to get the Alexandria prison to accommodate Manning’s needs also involved the Department of Justice and the Federal Marshals Service. Under custody where she was remanded. Her attorneys expressed their concerns to the judge at a hearing in May 2019, according to court documents. They are prison staff The health needs of trans women and the inability of Manning to receive proper care quickly enough. “It appears that at least some of the complications Chelsea experienced were due to questionable prison hygiene and Chelsea’s own failure to manage her daily post-surgery regimen.” Attorney Moira Meltzer-Cohen, who represented Manning at the time, said: court. Manning’s lack of control over post-surgery health care was something officials were unwilling to change, Meltzer-Cohen said at the time. The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, which is in charge of the facility where Manning was held, told NPR it is confident Manning “received…
https://www.npr.org/2023/04/09/1135270366/chelsea-manning-transgender-prisoners Chelsea Manning battled complex system to transition in prison : NPR

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