Prison doctor denies Chelsea Manning's request to change her gender to female on her Army service record

  • A psychologist at the Fort Leavenworth, Kansas prison refused to recommend that Manning's gender be updated, court documents revealed Monday
  • The rebuttal complicates her quest to wear a feminine hairstyle behind bars  
  • Manning has tried to commit suicide behind bars at least twice, in July and October, according to her lawyers
  • Has sought to wear her hair longer than two inches, the men's prison standard 

By Associated Press and Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: 14:58 EST, 6 December 2016 | Updated: 16:33 EST, 6 December 2016

A military prison psychologist has refused to recommend that transgender soldier Chelsea Manning's gender be changed to female in her Army service record, a court document shows.

The rebuttal complicates Manning's quest to wear a feminine hairstyle at the men's prison where she is serving a 35-year sentence for leaking classified information and where she has twice tried to commit suicide, according to her attorneys.

Manning requested to update her gender in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System on November 4, saying her inquiry was 'based on her having achieved stability in her female gender', court documents state.

Her lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union disclosed the psychologist's refusal in a filing Monday in US District Court for the District of Columbia, saying the chief of the Mental Health Division at the Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, prison had declined Manning's request.

The document doesn't say why psychologist Ellen Galloway refused. Army spokesman Wayne Hall declined to comment Tuesday, citing medical privacy laws.

A military prison psychologist has refused to recommend that Chelsea Manning (pictured) have her gender changed to female in her Army service record, a court document shows

Manning has tried to commit suicide behind bars at least twice, in July and October, according to her lawyers.

She asked President Barack Obama last month to commute her sentence to time served and wrote, citing her treatment at Leavenworth: 'I am living through a cycle of anxiety, anger, hopelessness, loss and depression.'

The White House confirmed Tuesday that it had received an ACLU letter supporting the commutation request but declined to comment further.

Manning has sought permission to wear her hair longer than two inches, the maximum length prison standards allow for men. The court document filed Monday is a status report from both sides on Manning's lawsuit seeking a court order giving her that permission.

Manning (pictured in August) has sought permission to wear her hair longer than two inches, the maximum length prison standards allow for men

In the report, Manning's lawyers say a new Army policy enabling soldiers to officially change genders does not provide a way for Manning to do so unless she is released, so that she can obtain the required documents, or receives transgender surgery.

Manning's lawyers said in September that the Army has agreed to provide the surgery. US Justice Department lawyers say in the status report that the government is assembling a team to assess Manning's current treatment plan and make any necessary adjustments.

The Army private formerly known as Bradley Manning was convicted in a 2013 court-martial of leaking more than 700,000 secret military and State Department documents to WikiLeaks while working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq.

Manning said she leaked the documents to raise awareness about the war's impact on innocent civilians. 

The judge's rebuttal complicates Manning's quest to wear a feminine hairstyle at the Fort Leavenworth, Kansas prison (pictured) where she is serving a 35-year sentence

Manning (pictured in 2013 before beginning her transition) asked President Barack Obama to commute her sentence to time served and wrote, citing her treatment at Leavenworth: 'I am living through a cycle of anxiety, anger, hopelessness, loss and depression'

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