Military Approves Hormone Replacement Therapy for Chelsea Manning

ABC News(WASHINGTON) — A Defense Department official confirmed on Thursday that Chelsea Manning, the convicted national-security secrets leaker, was approved for hormone replacement therapy to transition to a woman.

The commandant at Fort Leavenworth’s prison who approved Manning’s therapy called it “appropriate and necessary.” The decision is historic, as it is the first time the Army will provide the therapy. Previously, the Army had not allowed transgendered individuals to serve.

Manning, however, remains an active duty soldier while serving a 35-year sentence for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks.

Manning was born male as Bradley Manning, and was convicted of sending classified documents to WikiLeaks in 2013. The prison at Fort Leavenworth in Leavenworth, Kansas, is an all-male prison.

Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.