22 March 2014

Chelsea Manning Seeks To Make It Official

Chelsea (nee Bradley) Manning is requesting a formal name change.  On 23 April, a judge in Kansas--where she is currently incarcerated--will hear her petition.

Prison officials say that the judge's decision will have no bearing on her detention status.  According to George Marcec, a spokesman for Fort Leavenworth, prison officials don't see Ms. Manning's case as "a gender thing," but instead view it as "just him changing his name."  Therefore, whatever the outcome, Manning will be detained with other men.  Male inmates in cases like hers are detained in Army garrisons like Fort Leavenworth, while females are held in civilian federal prisons.

Manning has also requested hormone treatments but is not now interested in gender-reassignment surgery.  Also, she has not requested a transfer to a women's prison.   According to a statement on the Pvt. Manning Support Network website, she "has made friends at Fort Leavenworth and wishes only to live as herself".

An Army judge sentenced her to 35 years in prison for one of the biggest leaks of classified information in history, but did not find her guilty of the most serious possible charge:  aiding the enemy.