29 May, 2017
Chelsea Manning, formerly known as a male officer called Bradley Manning, was arrested in 2010 after leaking 700,000 military files including a battlefield video and diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks, the largest leak of classified data in US history.
The notorious transgender intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who joined the Army as Brad Manning, was released from military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, today. The leak, which Manning said she provided "to show the true cost of war", is considered to be the largest of its kind in US history.
The Army initially refused to provide her with hormone therapy, but agreed to provide the treatment past year as a result of a lawsuit filed by the ACLU.
Last week, Manning tweeted her excitement about her impending release: "Freedom was only a dream, and hard to imagine". Millions of Americans, including then U.S. President-elect Trump, exploded with outrage when then President Obama decided in January to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence, arguing that she had served enough time.
While in prison, Manning faced indefinite solitary confinement for an attempted suicide after disclosing that she identified as a woman.
"Far as I know, it's the first time an American president has granted clemency to a prisoner at Fort Leavenworth", said John Reichley, a past president of the Fort Leavenworth Historical Society. "I can imagine surviving and living as the person who I am and can finally be in the outside world", she said in a written statement.
There have been protests held to have Manning released from prison, and on the most part her posts on social media were warmly received. The statement was emailed just hours after her release from a military prison in Kansas.
Manning criticized Jenner back in December 2015, claiming she was "the grinch who stole (& sold out) the trans movement", according to Mic.
For the time being, Manning will continue to be on active duty in the United States military pending the outcome of her appeal. She later admitted to uploading more than 700,000 documents and other materials to WikiLeaks.
$140,000 has been raised on-line to help Manning re-acclimate and start a new life.
Manning has also surreptitiously become an icon for transgender activists. "The traumas of the past few years will not simply evaporate when she walks out of the prison". Manning garnered huge media attention for the vastness of her whistleblowing efforts.
Obama's decision to commute Manning's sentence set off harsh criticism from some Republicans and intelligence officials.
She is also still employed by the army, and retains its insurance coverage.
The Army said Manning will remain on active duty without pay, but will receive health care and other benefits. "Why was Chelsea Manning the first one?"
