Call me Chelsea: Bradley Manning plans to live as a woman
After being sentenced to 35 years in jail, the whistle-blower has changed his name and says he wants to undergo hormone therapy
Bradley Manning plans to live as a woman named Chelsea and wants to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible, the US soldier said yesterday, a day after being sentenced to 35 years in prison for the biggest leak of classified material in US history.
Manning announced the decision in a written statement provided to NBC, asking supporters to refer to him by his new name and the feminine pronoun. The statement was signed "Chelsea E. Manning".
"As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female. Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible," the statement read.
Manning's defence attorney, David Coombs, told NBC he was hoping officials at the military prison would accommodate Manning's request for hormone therapy. If not, "I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure they are forced to do so," Coombs said.
Manning's struggle with gender identity disorder - the sense of being a woman trapped in a man's body - was key to the defence. Attorneys had presented evidence of Manning's struggle with gender identity, including a photo of the soldier in a blond wig and lipstick sent to a therapist.