Manning’s gender transition sets up legal showdown for life behind bars

[Catherina]

19. Thank you Demo_Chris

As a favor, if you'd help educate others that would be great.

One thing I forgot, and this is why the pronouns and the new name are so important, once someone takes that step, they need all the external support they can get to get through it. The name change is a big step, similar to when Muhammed Ali told people to stop calling him by his slave name (Cassius Clay) and use his new name only.

I can't think of anyone who's having to transition under such a bright spotlight, the way Chelsea is. And she's not in a supportive or understanding environment. While she was in pretrial detention, as Bradley, the guards kept calling her skivvies "panties". When the main guard was confronted about it, he said he called all the male underwear *panties*. Bullshit, no he didn't, not in the military. She's going to be ridiculed and mocked (on top of being hated for exposing so many dirty secrets). She doesn't need the dysphoria stress on top of it. If she's given the hormone therapy, it will balance things out for her and she'll be more stable to deal with the other crap. When my last roommate was doing her hormone therapy, she called it was the best anti-depressant ever. Chelsea will probably still get depressed because of where she is but at least with hormone therapy, and the relief that she's finally leaving that old self behind, she won't have that added stress.