Chelsea Manning Will Be In ‘Vogue’s’ September Issue – A Plus

"That's the part of my life I replay the most: whether or not, living in Maryland and seeing a therapist [at age 19], I could have finally been able to say, 'This is who I am; this is what I want to do.' It was the first time in my life when I really considered transitioning. But I got scared. I really regret the fact that I didn't know or realize I already had the love I needed, especially from my aunt and sister just to seek support."

She shared that she was "a bit surprised by the outpouring of love and support" she got after she did reveal that she's a transgender woman. "If there was backlash, too (and there was), she doesn't seem to have registered it a tellingly upbeat response from a woman who now sprinkles hertweetswith hearts and rainbows," Vogue's contributing editor, Nathan Heller, wrote in the piece.

While Manning doesn't know what her future career looks like, she does have a few guiding principles she hopes to live by. "I have these values that I can connect with: responsibility, compassion. Those are really foundational for me. Do and say and be who you are because, no matter what happens, you are loved unconditionally," she said.

"It is OK to be who I am."

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Chelsea Manning Will Be In 'Vogue's' September Issue - A Plus