"He" is the pronoun that was used in their past, "she" is the pronoun for the present. When we're talking about the past+present for this person, I think "they" is not unreasonable. At least, it's more reasonable than trying to call someone out for their pronoun usage when the discussion is about a much more serious topic.

No, the correct way to do this is to use the individual's pronouns. Please note that the AP and the NYT have basically adopted the GLAAD style guide on this issue: http://www.glaad.org/reference/transgender

The NYT correctly stated in the parent article, "Ms. Manning was still known as Bradley Manning when she deployed with her unit to Iraq in late 2009." See how that works? She was always a she, even though she was presenting as a man at the time.

Equivocation of all non-conforming gender identities as a mental malady to be treated is such a Victorian era christian philosophy.

Highly religious, unscientific arguments are best taken to Gab where they will not be subject to scrutiny. Can I help you make an account?

Really, it's ok, you can call her "she"! It's not going to hurt you, and it'll help trans people everywhere feel a little less shitty reading this website.

does "they" imply a gender?

It can imply a number of things, from agender people to people like me who can't really be bothered to explain it.

Trans binary people enforce their gender identity quite strongly because they get so much "pushback" (a polite way of saying harassment and threats) from people. In this case "they" is tapping into that.

If you think this is complicated, try calling a baptist a catholic and see what happens.