Manning explains gender swap

Whistleblower soldier Bradley Manning decided to announce that he wanted to live as a woman the day after he was sentenced because a military prison said it would not provide hormone treatment, his lawyer said.

David Coombs said Manning, who now wants to be known as Chelsea, had known for a long time he would make such a statement, but “she wanted, essentially, for the media surrounding the trial to dissipate”. Mr Coombs said he and Manning knew the US Army might not provide hormone treatment but were hoping the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, would allow it since Manning had been diagnosed with gender-identity disorder by an army psychiatrist. When it was announced this would not be the case, Manning decided to go public.

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