Chelsea Manning to remain on active duty after release

Chelsea Manning, scheduled to be released from an Army prison later this week, will remain on activity duty until a military court rules on an appeal of the 2010 espionage case. During the appeal process, Manning will continue to receive military healthcare benefits—including transgender hormones and surgery. Manning, formerly known as Bradley, legally changed his name to Chelsea in 2014. The Army was providing Manning with unspecified treatment for gender dysphoria and already had decided he qualified for sex reassignment surgery under new military guidelines. Manning was convicted for giving classified documents to Wikileaks, which eventually posted them on the internet. President Barack Obama commuted Manning’s sentence in his last days in office. If the military court rejects the sentence appeal, Manning will get a dishonorable discharge and lose all benefits.