Upon being sentenced to 35 years in prison and losing his rank, Private Manning chose this moment to announce “I am female.” Manning claims that the name Bradley is no longer to be used. Chelsea Manning is the name we are to use. Manning’s lawyer are all over this, too, claiming that it is now a right to begin hormone therapy on the taxpayer dime.
Everything about this stinks, though. There’s no evidence of a medical diagnosis. The timing is all too perfect. The political effects are undeniable, in that Manning will get a new group of people who will reflexively give defense because of this newly claimed status.
I’m convinced this announced self-diagnosis by Manning is an attempt to win over new supporters on the Internet, the land of the politically polarized, and the home of the self-diagnosed. It may also be a last-ditch attempt to avoid prison.
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