Guest Paragon Posted March 21, 2014 Posted March 21, 2014 Admittedly, my knowledge of issues relating to transgendered individuals is limited. But this article, from towleroad.com, raises interesting questions. Are prisoners entitled to have the government pay for their sex change, and, if so, why? Why not pay for all sex changes- even the lawabiding ones? Petitions For Name Change Convicted Wikileaker Private Chelsea Manning has petitioned a Kansas court for a legal name change to match her female identity. The day after she was sentenced to 35 years in prison for violating the Espionage Act, Manning released a statement announcing her transgender identity. Manning is seeking the name change as part of a longer battle to secure hormone therapy during her time in incarceration. The New York Times has more: Manning has asked to receive hormone replacement therapy and live as a woman while incarcerated... [and] will go to court, if necessary, to obtain the hormone treatment. Civilian federal prisons are required to provide such treatment, if deemed medically necessary, for inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Unlike in military prisons, the policy also allows inmates who believe they are the wrong gender to dress and live accordingly as part of their individual treatment plans. The military has said it does not provide treatment for gender dysphoria because Pentagon policy dictates that transgender soldiers are not allowed to serve. According to Lauren McNamara (aka Zinnia Jones) — an activist, friend and former defense witness for Chelsea Manning — civilian courts have found in almost all cases that prisons are required to provide hormone therapy and increasingly surgery as well for trans inmates. If Manning succeeds in her quest to receive hormone treatment and other trans accomodations, she could help set a precedent for future trans soldiers both in and out of prison. Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/#ixzz2wddwf7hg Quote
Guest Paragon Posted March 21, 2014 Posted March 21, 2014 I don't know. It seems like a reward for being convicted of a crime. The law-abiding transgenders either get stuck paying the bill themselves, or get stuck with their balls. Quote
TotallyOz Posted March 21, 2014 Posted March 21, 2014 Knowing many from the prison system (prison ministry---long story) I can say that when you are in prison for life without the chance of being released that you deserve the same care you would be given outside of the system. And, I guess for Chelsea, I think he didn't deserve the sentence he received so I think he should be able to live the life he feels he should live. If you are in the prison and have a heart attack or have cancer, you are cared for. Why is this any different? lookin and AdamSmith 2 Quote
Guest Paragon Posted March 22, 2014 Posted March 22, 2014 I honestly don't know enough about gender dysphoria to answer your question. Times are changing and perhaps opinions will too. Quote
Members Bucknaway1614502762 Posted March 22, 2014 Members Posted March 22, 2014 I say no. Prison is not a place for hopes and dreams to come true. It is also not the place for medical make-overs. If the prisoner has the money for the procedure and a court allows it, then let them have the procedure but only if they can pay for it without assistance from the taxpayer or victims families. Quote
Members ihpguy Posted March 22, 2014 Members Posted March 22, 2014 More Paranguaya, of course. And what about the opposite. Have you all forgotten a female soldier who is looking to gain a set of balls and get rid of the ovaries she/he was born with? One must look at this situation from the other side as well. Since the military's position is that transgendered soldiers cannot serve, that means that they never should have enlisted Bradley/Chelsea, so he/she should be discharged and serve whatever term in a civilian prison where he/she will receive whatever care is needed, required and/or available. I might know a bit more about this than some. I had an employee for a years who ended up getting "snipped." Interestingly, an ex-PGA touring golf professional. Yep. After the surgery, I asked her if she was happy. She said that when the bandages came off and she looked in the mirror, she felt normal for the first time in her life. And this was just being without a penis. She did not have enough money to have labia or testicles fashioned during the first surgery. She only had enough funds to have her penis sliced open, turned inside out and fashioned into a vagina. But what was important was that she was happy. Satisfied. Wishes to Chelsea for the same. It tooks balls, that she no longer wants, to do what she and Edward have done. Neither an easy choice. lookin and AdamSmith 2 Quote
