After coming out as transgender last August, the WikiLeaks source is seeking to make her name change official.

Chelsea Manning

Incarcerated U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning has filed a petition for name change with a Kansas district court, and has a hearing scheduled for April 23. Manning, who is currently legally known by her birth name, "Bradley Edward Manning," has filed the request in order to be legally recognized by the name "Chelsea Elizabeth Manning."

Manning, who came out as transgender one day after being sentenced to 35 years in a military prison for leaking classified documents, is currently being held in an all-male facility at Fort Leavenworth.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Pvt. Manning Support Networkannounced that it will change its name to the Chelsea Manning Support Network.

According to the support network, in addition to her name change, Pvt. Manning is asking to be allowed to obtain hormone replacement therapy, one of the standard treatments for gender dysphoria, as outlined by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health Standards of Care. Manning has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria by multiple army behavior health specialists.

The statement also shines light on the strategy Manning will use in an effort to obtain medical treatment, reading, "In the face of military opposition, the American Civil Liberties Union plans to assist attorney David Coombs in advocating for Chelsea's right to receive HRT. There is already precident in federal courts establishing this right for transgender prisoners. We are confident that with adequate public and legal pressure, the military court and military prison system will follow suit."

Manning has not indicated interest in seeking any form of gender-confirming surgeries while serving out her sentence, and has not requested to be moved from the facility in which she is currently being held.

Lauren McNamara, a trangender writer and activist who had communicated with Pvt. Manning online in the years before her arrest, and testified during Manning's trial, expressed optimism that the court will grant Manning's name change.

"The right to name yourself is a basic matter of personal autonomy it is a fundamental expression of who you truly are," McNamara says. "This right does not cease to exist when you are incarcerated. It is crucial that Chelsea's name change be approved without delay."

See more here:
Chelsea Manning Seeks Legal Name Change

Chelsea Manning is escorted into a courthouse in Fort Meade, Md., on Aug. 21, 2013, before a sentencing hearing in her court martial.

Image: Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai2014-03-20 14:11:35 UTC

WikiLeaks' most famous whistleblower, the army private formerly known as Bradley Manning, has taken the first step toward officially becoming recognized as a female.

Manning requested a Kansas court to change her name to Chelsea and will also request hormone therapy, the Pvt. Manning Support Network announced on Wednesday.

After she was sentenced to 35 years in prison in August 2013 for leaking hundreds of thousands of secrets to WikiLeaks, Manning announced that she was female and wanted to henceforth be known as Chelsea. Manning's leaks to Julian Assange's organization include the Iraq and Afghanistan War logs, the Collateral Murder video, and the trove of diplomatic cables popularly knows as "Cablegate."

That announcement was "the result a long process of personal introspection and discovery," the Pvt. Manning Support Network said. Manning has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, or gender identity disorder, by two U.S. Army behavioral health specialists, according to the Associated Press.

Manning has asked to live as a woman during her incarceration, but it's still unclear whether the Army will allow that. Unlike federal civilian prisons, U.S. military prisons are not legally required to provide hormone therapy when medically necessary. The Pentagon doesn't allow transgender soldiers to serve and prisoners are considered soldiers until released from prison.

The matter will probably have to be solved in court; there is no precedent for Manning's case, so it will be up for a judge to decide. Manning requested the name change to Kansas' Leavenworth County District Court through her lawyer, David E. Coombs, on Jan. 27. The court has scheduled a hearing on April 23 to consider the matter.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

Go here to see the original:
Chelsea Manning Formally Requests Name Change