According to her attorneys at the ACLU, Chelsea Manning has ended her hunger strike and the Army has stated it will provide treatment for her gender dysphoria.

As we reported on Friday, the 28-year-old Army private announced a hunger strike in protest of having been denied treatment for gender dysphoria. The treatment will begin with a surgery recommended by her doctor back in April.

Manning is serving a 35 year sentence in Kansas for leaking classified military information. She served in the U.S. Army as Private Bradley Manning and came forward with her gender identity during a military counseling session in November of 2009.

Diagnosis and treatment of gender dysphoria is important. People living with this disorder have higher rates of mental health conditions. As well, the suicide rate among people of gender nonconforming identities is vastly higher than most marginalized groups of people.

The goal of treatment is not to change how the person feels about his or her gender. Rather it is to deal with the distress that may come with those feelings.

While gender dysphoria appears to be rare, the number of people being diagnosed with the condition is increasing, due to growing public awareness. Soon we may have more accurate statistics on how many people are living with gender dysphoria.

However many people, such as Chelsea Manning, still face prejudice and misunderstanding while living with gender dysphoria.