The Washington Post editorializes:
The Manning moment![The Manning moment]()
Editorial Board
The case highlights the need for wider tolerance for transgender individuals.
IN JULY, Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, who had passed along classified information to WikiLeaks, was convicted of violating the Espionage Act. When sentenced in mid-August to 35 years in prison, the private issued a public statement that had nothing to do with the sentence or the crime but that nevertheless caught the attention of the country.
“As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me,” that statement read. “I am Chelsea Manning. I am female.”
With four words —“I am Chelsea Manning” — Pfc. Manning positioned the national spotlight onto the nation’s transgender community, the oft-forgotten “T” in “LGBT” (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) and what remains one of America’s most marginalized and neglected minority groups, even as the country makes significant strides in recognizing the rights of gay and lesbian citizens.
It's really not that hard to distract Americans from thinking about serious issues of American power, is it? Let's all get worked up over World War T instead!
Panem et circenses: gay marriage and transgender campaigns are part of the circuses of the 21st American Imperium. There's really no end to the kind of hysterias that can be ginned up.
