Manning Says He Wants To Live As A Woman

Bradley Manning is escorted into court to receive his sentence at Fort Meade in Maryland on August 21.

Bradley Manning, the U.S. soldier convicted of leaking classified material to the antisecrecy website WikiLeaks, has said he wants to be a woman and wants to be called Chelsea.

Manning announced the decision in a statement read on NBC's "Today" show.

The statement read, "I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female."

The statement was made public one day after a military court sentenced Manning to 35 years in prison for sending classified documents to WikiLeaks that were then made public.

Manning's attorneys had presented evidence of the soldier's gender-identity struggle as part of his defense during the military trial.

Manning's lawyer David Coombs said Manning has requested hormone therapy at the military prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.


Based on reporting by AP and AFP