‘Frontline’ examines gay life of Bradley Manning and his difficult Army experience
The PBS series Frontline is currently airing an examination of the life of Army Pvt. Bradley Manning. Manning is a Federal prisoner who is suspected of leaking thousands of secret U.S. documents to Wikileaks. A lot of controversy has arisen around Manning’s actions, the allegedly harsh treatment and isolation he has endured while incarcerated, and the way in which he was caught.
The program includes coverage of the widely assumed but little-discussed facts about Manning’s sexual orientation. Jordan Davis, described as Manning’s best friend back in Oklahoma, said he thought Manning grew up scared of his “controlling” dad. But said that after his father divorced his mother, Manning began to change his appearance, and eventually revealed his secret to Davis (Frontline / PBS):
“He told me he was gay, and I said, ‘Okay, well, you know, it’s whatever floats your boat, man.’ And that was pretty much it.”
Manning lived with his mother for a while then returned to live with his father, Brian Manning, who says he was surprised when his Bradley told him he was gay. He claims Bradley had become argumentative and that he lost a job because he was “increasingly erratic.” Brian Manning added that Bradley was not kicked out of his home because he was gay, but said his son moved out after a confrontation with his new stepmother. Brian Manning told the show that he’s the one who suggested that his “aimless” son should join the Army to find “structure.”
Frontline reports that Manning enlisted in 2007, at the age of 19, to become an intelligence analyst. But he was harassed and disliked by drill sergeants, possibly because he was “gay and effeminate,” according to his Army roommate. Manning continued to have “outbursts” and, after being deployed to Iraq, “his private life fell apart.”
Frontline says Manning used social media to show his support for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and gay marriage, and even posted pictures of himself at gay rights rallies with pro-gay signs. His father and others expressed concern over the public display of his sexual orientation while under the U.S. military’s DADT policy.
It’s reported that Manning had a relationship with Tyler Watkins a student in Boston, and was introduced there to a group of computer science students and “hackers.” Frontline says Manning went to Iraq, but returned to find that Watkins wanted to break off their relationship. The show adds that Manning took the news that Watkins began a new relationship very hard. (Frontline / PBS)
For more, see the New York Times’ profile of Manning from March 2011, another report which delved into his gay life.
Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.
Watch the full Frontline report on “WikiSecrets,” which includes interviews with Julian Assange of Wikileaks, Adrian Lamo who originally turned over Bradley Manning for suspicious activity, and news publishers who printed the contents of thousands of classified documents (embarrassing diplomatic cables that are alleged to be at the heart of Manning’s case):
Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.
Alyona of Russia Today‘s DC-based studio criticized the show’s portrayal for ignoring the fact that Manning has not yet been convicted of anything. She also said that it skipped over the POV that Manning and Wikileaks’s Assange are admired by some who believe in full disclosure and holding the US government accountable:
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