The Army made her feel like a joke but they couldnt keep her silent. <\/p>\n
Chelsea Manning formerly known as Bradley E. Manning the ex-Army intelligence analyst sentenced to 35 years for leaking a treasure trove of secret documents to WikiLeaks, has given her first public interview with the press from military prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. <\/p>\n
Bradley Manning, now known as Chelsea Manning, in 2013.Photo: Getty Images <\/p>\n
Speaking through the mail to Cosmopolitan magazine, Manning opened up about her recent experience behind bars and her lifelong desire to live as a woman. <\/p>\n
I dont know how [this struggle] shaped my life and who I am, but its absolutely a factor in the decisions that I made before and including when I enlisted in the Army, she explained. <\/p>\n
Manning who began transitioning into a woman last year through the use of hormones, makeup, and female clothing also describes feeling disconnected most of her life. <\/p>\n
I had always known that I was different. I didnt really understand it all until I got older, she said. <\/p>\n
Manning tells Cosmo that she joined the Army with hopes that the macho environment would distract her from thoughts of living as a woman. But she got a rude awakening in 2007 during basic training in Missouri. <\/p>\n
I absolutely was caught off guard by the intensity, she remembered. There were points when I was humiliated pretty badly. <\/p>\n
Serving in Iraq, though, would prove to be a turning point emotionally for Manning. <\/p>\n
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