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Growing Out Her Hair Endangers Chelsea Manning’s Safety, Feds Argue

This photo from before Chelsea Manning entered prison shows her expressing her identity as a woman using a wig and makeup. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/U.S. ARMY, FILE
This photo from before Chelsea Manning entered prison shows her expressing her identity as a woman using a wig and makeup. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/U.S. ARMY, FILE

Chelsea Manning continues to fight for the right to fulfill her gender identity while serving time in an all-male military prison facility. This past week, the Department of Justice filed a new brief in the case arguing that it would present “security concerns” if she were allowed to grow her hair past the prison’s two-inch limit.

The United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB) took seven months to investigate the question of letting Manning grow her hair out. She already has access to hormone therapy, female undergarments, and cosmetics, but the investigation found that it was too big of a risk.

The explanations as to why have been redacted, but here is a sampling of the many ways the brief described the prison’s concerns:

  • “This narrow issue is fundamentally intertwined, however, with preserving core prison-security and military values at the UDSB, such as uniform treatment and good order and discipline.”
  • “Defendants’ decision-making regarding Manning’s treatment is motivated by significant and legitimate security, military, and penal concerns.”
  • “Making an exception to the USDB’s generally applicable hair restriction would pose a significant security risk, and would undermine the USDB’s important military mission.”
  • “Col. Nelson determined that ‘permitting Inmate Manning to wear a feminine hairstyle is not supported by the risk assessment and potential risk mitigation measures at this time.’”
  • “The decision not to permit Manning to follow the female grooming standards is substantially related to important governmental interests — i.e., ensuring safety and security within a military prison environment.”
  • “Military courts should have the first opportunity to address the claim given those courts’ superior knowledge of the military’s ‘laws and traditions’ and their ‘thorough familiarity with military problems.’”
  • “And although the USDB recently determined that Manning could not safely be permitted to grow longer hair, that occurred only after a careful review and consideration of the possible risks involved — i.e. [REDACTED].
  • Col. Nelson decided that permitting Manning to wear a feminine hairstyle presented unacceptable risk [REDACTED].
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