WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Chelsea Manning, formerly Bradley Manning, has been approved for hormone therapy by the U.S. Army.
Manning was convicted of leaking classified military documents to the journalistic organization Wikileaks in 2013. She is serving a 35-year sentence with possible parole.
Manning announced in August of 2013 that she was a woman. "As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me," Manning said in the statement at the time. "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. I hope that you will support me in this transition."
In September of last year, Manning sued the Department of Defense for denying her hormone therapy. She is being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union
"After carefully considering the recommendation that (hormone treatment) is medically appropriate and necessary, and weighing all associated safety and security risks presented, I approve adding (hormone treatment) to Inmate Manning's treatment plan," Col. Erica Nelson, the commandant of the Fort Leavenworth Disciplinary Barracks in Kansas, wrote in a Feb. 5 memo obtained by USA Today.
