Private Chelsea Manning, who has been forcing the U.S. military into many firsts regarding gender identity, must now be referred to as a woman in all court documents. Manning is serving a 35-year sentence for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks and asked the military to stop using masculine pronouns in filings related to her appeal. The government argued earlier this month that Manning failed to explain how this would “serve the interest of justice,” but now the Army Court of Criminal Appeals has ordered that “future formal papers filed before this court and all future orders and decisions issued by this court shall either be neutral, e.g., Private First Class Manning or appellant, or employ a feminine pronoun.” Last month the military agreed to provide Manning with hormone treatment, but it still won’t let her grow her hair out like other female prisoners.
