WikiLeaks

Manning Considered Changing Genders

New chat logs show private was lonely, confused.

A profile of Private Bradley Manning based on new chat logs reveals that the alleged WikiLeaks source was considering changing his gender. While he was stationed in Iraq, Manning contacted a counselor about gender-changing surgery, saying he felt he was female. Though "don't ask, don't tell" kept him from talking about his sexual orientation publicly, Manning was also openly gay online, chatting often with Zachary Antolak, a 19-year-old gay activist who went by the name Zinnia Jones. Nevertheless, Manning's fellow soldiers found out and mocked him for it, according to the logs. The logs also depict him as deeply lonely, estranged from his family, and living the most active parts of his life online, chatting with Antolak and eventually seeking out Julian Assange.