'I do not believe I'll be able to survive another year or two ... without treatment,' says the trans military whistleblower, in the wake of the military's continued delays in providing transition-related medical care.

Wikileaks source Chelsea Manning filed a lawsuit in federal court against Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and the Pentagon Tuesday, demanding access to hormone therapy more than a year after her first request for such treatment.

The military's ongoing delay in providing such gender-affirming treatment has prompted the rapid deterioration of Manning's mental health, reports theHuffington Post.

Her lawsuit, filed Tuesday,seeks a preliminary injunction that would allow her to begin hormone treatment while the case is litigated, which could possibly last several years. Manning's legal team had previously indicated that they would file a lawsuit on her behalf if the Army continued to drag its feet on providing basic health care to Manning while she is in custody.

"It has now been more than four years since I was first diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a condition that I have struggled with my entire life," Manning stated in the filing. "I do not believe I will be able to survive another year or two let alone twenty to thirty years without treatment."

Manning is currently serving a 35-year sentencein an all-male facility at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas,for leaking government documents relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the website WikiLeaks in 2010.

The former Army intelligence officer publiclycame out as transgender last August after she was sentenced. She has since been diagnosed by a number of military doctors with gender dysphoria, an incongruence between one's assigned gender and the one with which they identify. Hormone replacement therapy is one of a number of recommended courses of treatment for gender dysphoria, as outlined by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health's Standards of Care, and as supported by the American Medical Association.

In August, it was revealed that despite reports that Sec. Hagel had approved Manning's request to begin hormone therapy, she hadn't received any such treatment. One of Manning's attorneys, American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Chase Strangio, has been in frequent contact with Manning, and says she has been in "escalating distress" the longer the military has refused her hormone therapy, according to Huff Post.

"She, for a long time, retained the hope that they would do the right thing," Strangio said. "Since then she's been very desperate for relief for a very serious condition which is not being taken seriously."

David Coombs, who represented Manning in her court-martial trial, is reportedly involved in the new federal lawsuit, as well. Coombs had previously indicated the possibility of filing an Eighth Amendment lawsuitif the military continued to deny his client the treatment, which he argues is "cruel and unusual punishment."

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Chelsea Manning Sues Federal Government for Hormone Therapy

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Chelsea Manning has filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Defense for blocking her from receiving proper transgender medical treatment.

The suit claims Manning has been denied the hormone treatment and other personal care standards to complete her gender transition at Leavenworth prison.

"She brings this action to compel defendants [Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the federal government] to treat her serious medical needs consistent with their obligation under the Constitution," said the suit.

Her representation from the ACLU claim if the requests are denied, she "will suffer continued pain, depression and anxiety and is at an extremely high risk of self-castration and suicidality."

Along with the hormone treatments, Manning is requesting she be allowed to follow grooming standards like being allowed to grow her hair and wear cosmetics, "in order to express her female gender."

"No decision to transfer Pvt. Manning to a civilian detention facility has been made," said Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby in May, "and any such decision will, of course, properly balance the soldier's medical needs with our obligation to ensure she remains behind bars."

Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison after leaking classified documents about events during the war in Iraq.

2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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Chelsea Manning sues Defense Department to receive transgender hormone therapy

On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the federal government on behalf of US Army Private Chelsea Manning. The lawsuit asks for treatment for Manning's gender dysphoria, which she was diagnosed with in 2010 while she was stationed in Iraq.

Manning was court-martialed last year for handing a cache of classified documents over to Wikileaks, which most famously resulted in the notorious Collateral Murder video. She was convicted in July 2013 of espionage, theft, and computer fraud, but she was acquitted of aiding the enemy, which was one of the most serious charges. Manning is currently serving 35 years in prison and resides at the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.

Manning and her lawyers have repeatedly tried to secure treatment for Manning's condition. In May of this year, it seemed as if the Pentagon would allow a transfer of Manning from a military to a civilian prison so that she could get treatment, which includes hormone therapy, permission to follow female grooming standards, and access to a doctor trained to deal with her condition, according to the Los Angeles Times. In July, the Army's request to transfer Manning to the Federal Bureau of Prisons was rejected. At the same time, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel approved an Army recommendation to initiate a 'rudimentary level of gender treatment,' Manning's complaint reads.

Manning's complaint asks that the United States District Court of the District of Columbia rule that refusing to treat Manning's gender dysphoria violates the Eighth Amendment, order that Manning receive treatment, and cover her attorney's fees, as well as any "other relief thattheCourt deems just and proper."

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Chelsea Manning sues federal government for gender dysphoria treatment

Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning, the U.S. intelligence analyst who made headlines in 2013 after leaking thousands of classified documents depicting abuse and torture being carried out by U.S. soldiers to WikiLeaks, recently took to The Guardian to share her thoughts on how the American military could best deal with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, colloquially known as ISIL or ISIS. They key to dismantling the jihadist group, Manning says, is to let its leaders prove how unsustainable its hypothetical caliphate would be in reality.

Let Isis succeed in setting up a failed state in a contained area and over a long enough period of time to prove itself unpopular and unable to govern, she reasons. This might begin to discredit the leadership and ideology of Isis for good.

Manning also points out that the U.S. isnt doing enough to combat ISISs well documented and effective use of social media to spread its propagandistic messages. In addition to a physical presence within Iraq and Syria, she says the U.S. needs to counter [ISISs] narrative that the organization uses to recruit youth fighters into its ranks.

Reactions to Mannings piece have been mixed, but generally positive. Ben Kesling, a marine Corps veteran and Wall Street Journal reporter, took issue with Mannings logic considering her rank at the time of her dishonorable discharge.

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Chelsea Manning Breaks Silence, Speaks Out On ISIS| Gay ...

Chelsea Manning has filed a federal lawsuit against Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and other officials with the Department of Defense and Department of the Army over the governments failure to provide necessary medical treatment for her gender dysphoria, a condition with which she was originally diagnosed by Army doctors more than four years ago, according to a statement on the legal challenge. Earlier this summer, Hagel approved the Armys recommendation to begin rudimentary level treatment, including allowing Manning to dress in accordance with female grooming standards and access hormone therapy, but has yet to make good on the announcement.

Manning, who is currently serving a 35 year prison sentence for leaking documents to WikiLeaks, is seeking a court order to obtain hormone therapy and access to other medical treatments recommended by her doctors. The government continues to deny Ms. Mannings access to necessary medical treatment for gender dysphoria, without which she will continue to suffer severe psychological harms, said Chase Strangio, an attorney in the ACLU Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender project who is also co-counsel on the case. Such clear disregard of well-established medical protocols constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

Last month, Manning also released a statement demanding the treatment recommended by her doctors. This time last year I publicly asked that I be provided with a treatment plan, to bring my body more in line with my gender identity, she said. Unfortunately, despite silence, and then lip service, the military has not yet provided me with any such treatment.

In addition to access to medical treatment, the suit also demands that Manning be allowed to follow female grooming standards while in prison. In my daily life I am reminded of this when I look at the name on my badge, the first initial sewed onto my clothing, the hair and grooming standards that I adhere to and the titles and courtesies used by the staff, she said.

The National Commission on Correctional Health Care and the American Psychological Association support providing treatment to prisoners diagnosed with gender dysphoria. And advocates have continued to pressure the military to lift its ban on trans soldiers serving openly, and to provide trans-related medical care to all soldiers who require it.

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Chelsea Manning sues government to access recommended medical treatment

Chelsea Manning, the U.S. soldier currently serving a 35-year prison sentence for leaking government documents to WikiLeaks, wrote a column for The Guardian criticizing Obama's approach to ISIS. "Based on my experience as an all-source analyst in Iraq during the organization's relative infancy, ISIS cannot be defeated by bombs and bullets," she writes.

Manning wrote the article from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where she's in military custody. She explains:

Attacking ISIS directly, by air strikes or special operations forces, is a very tempting option available to policymakers, with immediate (but not always good) results. Unfortunately, when the west fights fire with fire, we feed into a cycle of outrage, recruitment, organizing and even more fighting that goes back decades. This is exactly what happened in Iraq during the height of a civil war in 2006 and 2007, and it can only be expected to occur again.

Manning recommends a policy of containment instead: "Let ISIS succeed in setting up a failed 'state'in a contained area and over a long enough period of time to prove itself unpopular and unable to govern. This might begin to discredit the leadership and ideology of ISIS for good."

This is the first time she's spoken out since entering custody. She's in the process of appealing her sentence.

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Chelsea Manning Breaks Silence to Criticize U.S. Airstrikes on ISIS

Chelsea Manning MARDI GRAS 2014
The Chelsea Manning float at Sydney #39;s Mardi Gras parade. 01.03.2014. Organised by SAWC Sydney. Filmed Edit by Luke Dampney-Williams Support Chelsea (Bradle...

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"Hammer The Alarm" Dedicated to Chelsea Manning

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"Hammer The Alarm" Dedicated to Chelsea Manning - Video

Imaginary Lines
Today #39;s program, hosted by Chris Spannos, interviews investigative journalist Alex O #39;Brian on the case of Chelsea Manning, the whistleblower who released 900000 classified US government documents...

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Imaginary Lines - Video

By Tracy Connor

A year after requesting gender-reassignment treatment, convicted national-security leaker Chelsea Manning says the military has given her nothing but "lip service." In an exclusive statement to NBC News, the former Army private once known as Bradley Manning said life in the military lockup at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, has restricted her ability to express her gender identity. "For example, in my daily life, I am reminded of this when I look at the name on my badge, the first initial sewed into my clothing, the hair and grooming standards that I adhere to, and the titles and courtesies used by the staff. Ultimately, I just want to be able to live my life as the person that I am, and to be able to feel comfortable in my own skin."

Manning is serving a 35-year sentence after being convicted of sending classified documents to anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. She became the first military inmate to ask for treatment for gender dysphoria and went public with her decision to live life as a woman in a TODAY interview last August. She asked for a treatment plan that would consider three measures: dressing and living as a woman, hormone therapy and possible surgery.

Last month, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel approved an Army recommendation to begin the early stages of gender reassignment, including counseling and approval to dress as a woman, officials said. But Manning's lawyer, David Coombs, said in a statement that the military has failed to carry out the recommendation and that he is prepared to sue. "The military's failure to comply with the treatment recommendations and protocols for Chelsea's diagnosed gender dysmorphia violates her well-established constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment," Coombs wrote.

The Army declined to say when treatment might begin.

"The Department of Defense has approved a request by Army leadership to provide required medical treatment for an inmate diagnosed with gender dysphoria. I can't discuss the medical needs of an individual," Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Alayne Conway said.

"In general terms, the initial stages of treatment for individuals with gender dysphoria include psychotherapy and elements of the 'real life experience' therapy. Treatment for the condition is highly individualized and generally is sequential and graduated."

First published August 22 2014, 1:48 AM

Tracy Connor is a senior writer for NBC News. She started this role in December, 2012. Connor is responsible for reporting and writing breaking news, features and enterprise stories for NBCNews.com. Connor joined NBC News from the New York Daily News, where she was a senior writer covering a broad range of news and supervising the health and immigration beats. Prior to that she was an assistant city editor who oversaw breaking news and the courts and entertainment beats.

Earlier, Connor was a staff writer at the New York Post, United Press International and Brooklyn Paper Publications.

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