"Secretary Carter, with his statement, has given a breath of relief and overdue respect to transgender service members who have been and are currently serving our country with undeniable professionalism, the utmost respect and illustrious courage, with the caveat to do so silently".
The truth was this was not a statement of triumph but considerable relief.
The statement is as much an expression of relief as a boast.
Janet Keating, president of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, said in a statement, "We breathe a huge sigh of relief today".
The statements were followed by detectable sighs of relief from those who had been alarmed by seeing the words "under-age sex" in the same sentence as "Elmo" (whose name was trending on Twitter nationwide on Tuesday evening).
David Curry, the head of Open Doors USA, an organization that lobbies for Christian minorities, said in a statement that "we are breathing a sigh of relief today".
But in many countries, her statements have elicited an almost palpable sense of relief.
Comic Relief said in a statement: "Comic Relief takes the business of making grants and managing the money so generously donated by the public extremely seriously.
Now that Manning has released an official statement on her gender, LGBT advocates are breathing a sigh of relief that the situation has been settled.
Sea Shepherd Australia's managing director, Jeff Hansen, said in a statement: "The whales of the Great Australian Bight can breathe a slight sigh of relief today.
