Convicted Army private Bradley Edward Manning has filed a name change request to be officially recognized as Chelsea Elizabeth Manning, the Associated Press reported.
Manning was sentenced in July of last year to 35 years in prison after being found guilty of leaking confidential government information to WikiLeaks.
In August the private announced she wished to be known as Chelsea Manning. Several news outlets including the AP have since referred to Manning as Chelsea. Army behavioral experts say that Manning has gender dysphoria, also known as gender identity disorder.
Officials at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where Manning is incarcerated, said she would have to get her name legally changed to be recognized as Chelsea. David Coombs, Manning's lawyer, filed her request Jan. 27 with the Leavenworth County District Court. A hearing has been scheduled for April 23, the AP reported.
Manning also requested that she be treated as a woman during her sentence and go through hormone replacement therapy, which she is prepared to go to court for if necessary.
Receiving hormone therapy may prove difficult for Manning because the military does not provide it. That is due to the fact that, according to the Pentagon's policy, transgender soldiers are not allowed to serve in the military, the AP reported.
Manning cannot receive a discharge until she is no longer in prison and has filed every possible appeal over her conviction.
Civilian prisons, however, are required to provide hormone treatment for those with gender dysphoria if medically necessary, the AP reported.
Manning was an Army intelligence analyst before she was convicted. She was put on trial for leaking hundreds of secret logs about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while serving in Iraq. Manning was found not guilty of the most serious charge of aiding the enemy, a charge that carries a life sentence.
