Page 123 - Push Back

crimes. The media has been publishing a photo of Bradley Manning in a woman’s wig, and
wearing women’s clothing.

This announcement has far reaching implications for both the military and civilian prison
systems. Manning was assigned to prison at Fort Leavenworth. This is a male only facility. If the
government acknowledges the gender he identifies with, he will have to be transferred to the
Army’s women’s prison in San Diego. He would likely share a cell, bathroom and shower
facilities with women.

Bradley/Chelsea Manning

It is not hard to imagine some alternative motives for his seeking this reassignment. Manning has
suffered much abuse at the hands of his military prison guards already, including being forced to
stand naked in front of prison staff, and to be kept in a cell with no clothing, or bedding, on the
pretense that he might try to injure himself. As he is facing the next 35 years in prison, he may
well believe he would be better off in a facility that houses women. How many more male
prisoners might take the same tack for similar reasons, or even to have contact with female
prisoners?

One fact that is revealed in the bizarre story of news editor Don Ellis is that therapists have no
way to tell whether a person is truly a transsexual. The only thing they have to go by is the
individual’s testimony. If a man says they see themselves as female, or a female states that she
sees herself as male, the therapist must take the person’s word on the matter. Indeed, laws are
now being passed that would bar a counselor or therapist from trying to dissuade an individual
from such a view.

The entire prison system could soon be filled with added confusion, and increased moral
debauchery, as men are assigned to women’s prisons and vice versa. California recently passed a
law requiring that public school students be permitted to use whatever gender’s facilities they
identify with. This means boys may go into the girl’s restrooms, dressing rooms, and showers,
and girls into the boy’s. It takes little imagination to perceive that this will soon become the law
for all citizens of the state of California, including those in prison. It is, after all, being trumpeted
as a human right.