海角大神

So there鈥檚 this young US Army private named 鈥淢anning.鈥�

You remember: The intelligence analyst in Iraq who leaked a massive trove of classified military information to the controversial whistleblower outfit WikiLeaks? The one convicted of espionage who鈥檚 about to spend as many as 35 years in the Army鈥檚 maximum security prison at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas?

OK. Everybody knows that. But there鈥檚 a problem.

The first name on Manning's dog tags is 鈥淏radley,鈥� as it is on all official documents where the identification states 鈥渕ale.鈥� But as the young soldier headed off to incarceration, Manning declared "I'm transgender" 鈥� personally identified as a female, intending to take the necessary steps to make the physical change 鈥� and that the proper first name now 鈥� immediately 鈥� is 鈥淐helsea.鈥�

You鈥檒l note that I鈥檝e cleverly avoided using gender-specific pronouns here so far 鈥� no 鈥渉e鈥� or 鈥渟he,鈥� no 鈥渉im鈥� or 鈥渉er.鈥� (I鈥檒l also note that Manning did not have to do this to us. I have a female cousin perfectly happy to be named 鈥淏radley,鈥� which is an old family name.)

For now, at least, and until instructed otherwise by my editors, I鈥檒l do what that source of all undergraduate wisdom 鈥� Wikipedia 鈥� has done: Refer to Manning as female.

Ms. Manning had barely finished his 鈥� oops, her 鈥� announcement last week when Wikipedia immediately redirected 鈥淏radley Manning鈥� searches to 鈥淐helsea Manning鈥� in an article peppered with feminine pronouns. One example:

鈥淪he was sentenced to 35 years in prison and dishonorably discharged. She will be eligible for parole after serving one third of her sentence, and together with credits for time served and good behavior could be released eight years after sentencing.鈥�

It鈥檚 not been so quick or easy for others in the media, where what to call Manning is being hotly debated.

鈥淭he sooner journalists stop writing 鈥楤radley鈥� and start writing 鈥楥helsea,鈥� the quicker everyone following this story will adapt 鈥� and even change their Google search terms when looking for coverage,鈥� writes Amanda Marcotte at Slate, a relatively progressive site. 鈥淓ven if you disagree with Manning's actions and believe she deserves the harsh sentence she received, her gender identity had nothing to do with her crimes. Most people don't have to transition under as much scrutiny as Manning has suffered; all of us making the switch graciously can help make things slightly easier for her.鈥�

But over at the conservative National Review, Wesley J. Smith聽takes a more legalistic view.

鈥淲e need structure here and a proper legal process,鈥� he writes. 鈥淯ntil Bradley Manning is officially declared Chelsea by a court 鈥� with an amended聽birth certificate issued and a legal judgment of sex reassignment 鈥� he remains聽a legal male. That聽should be the standard, not a personal statement read on a television show or a change in appearance.鈥�

The Associated Press style book says this: 鈥淯se the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth. If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly.鈥�

That鈥檚 pretty clear, but it doesn鈥檛 exactly answer the 鈥渙pposite sex鈥� question about Manning.

In a piece headlined 鈥淭he Soldier Formerly Known as Bradley Manning,鈥� New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan聽writes, 鈥淭he development sent Times editors scrambling to their stylebooks and to past articles on other transgender cases of well-known people for guidance.鈥�

Apparently, they鈥檙e still trying to figure it out.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 just spring a new name and a new pronoun鈥� on readers with no explanation, Susan Wessling, the deputy editor who supervises the newspaper鈥檚 copy editors,聽told Ms. Sullivan.

Sullivan notes that a recent article on The Times鈥檚 Web site on the gender issue continued to use the masculine pronoun and 鈥淢r.鈥�

鈥淭hat, said the associate managing editor Philip B. Corbett, will evolve over time,鈥� Sullivan writes. 鈥淚t鈥檚 tricky, no doubt. But given Ms. Manning鈥檚 preference, it may be best to quickly change to the feminine and to explain that 鈥� rather than the other way around."

To transgender people 鈥� there are some 700,000 in the United States by one scientific count 鈥� it鈥檚 not a subject for tittering, dismissal, or journalistic head-scratching.

The聽American Psychiatric Association now labels transgender inclinations as 鈥淕ender Dysphoria鈥� rather than 鈥済ender identity disorder,鈥� which carries less of a stigma. (The聽professional association聽declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1973.)

Advances in transgender rights 鈥� which are included in many gay rights laws 鈥� have followed.

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia all have laws clearly prohibiting discrimination against transgender people.

The trend has become more controversial with cases involving school children.

Colorado officials recently ruled that a suburban Colorado Springs school district discriminated against a transgender 6-year-old (anatomically a boy, although she thought of herself as a girl) by preventing her from using the girls' bathroom.

In California earlier this month, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation requiring public schools to allow transgender students access to whichever restroom and locker room they want. The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, also will allow transgender kindergarten through-12th grade students to choose whether they want to play boys' or girls' sports.

All of this has come into greater focus now that 鈥淏radley Manning鈥� has become 鈥淐helsea Manning.鈥�