Chelsea Manning, who leaked hundreds of thousands of military and diplomatic records about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to Wikileaks, is revered by some. ‘The biggest hero that ever lived,’ says Vivienne Westwood. To others, like Donald Trump, Manning is an ‘ungrateful traitor’ who should still be in jail.
To Trump’s fury, one of Barack Obama’s final acts as president was to release Manning. The former US army intelligence analyst is using that freedom to tour the world on a speaking circuit – but there’s something the former US soldier is not so eager to talk about: sex and gender.
A day after Manning was sentenced back in 2013, Bradley became Chelsea. ‘I am a female,’ Manning said of the transition. Nearly a decade on, Manning seems to think that life-changing decision is one of the least interesting things in a remarkable story. For a trans person like me, who worries that the trans issue dominates the headlines too much, it’s a refreshing attitude.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in