An image of Manning sent in a April 24, 2010, email coming out to her supervisor (Photo: Chelsea Manning, via U.S. Army file).
The American Civil Liberties Union and over a dozen LGBT groups have sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to commute the sentence of former Pfc. Chelsea Manning, who is currently serving the 7th year of a 35-year sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB) in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Manning was convicted of violating the Espionage Act, stealing government property, violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and disobeying orders multiple times after she released more than 700,000 government files containing sensitive information to the cyber-anarchist government watchdog website Wikileaks. Manning’s release of information is still considered one of the largest leaks in American history. She has tried to appeal her conviction, arguing that she was acting as a “whistleblower” in bringing information on the impact of U.S.-led wars in the Middle East on civilians to the public’s attention.
The LGBT organizations wrote to Obama, asking him to commute Manning’s sentence to time served.
“Our organizations may be of differing opinions concerning Ms. Manning’s actions; however, we stand united in our support for her clemency petition,” the letter reads. “If approved, Ms. Manning will have a first chance to live a real, meaningful life as the person she was born to be.”
In addition to the ACLU, other signatories of the letter are: BiNet USA, COLAGE, the Family Equality Council, FORGE, Inc., GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Immigration Equality, KhushDC, Lambda Legal, League of United Latin American Citizens, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the National Black Justice Coalition, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the National LGBTQ Task Force, the National Organization for Women (NOW), Pride at Work, and Transgender Law Center.
The groups note that Manning, who, despite her transgender status, is serving out her sentence in an all-male prison, has frequently been placed in solitary confinement for long stretches of time, including after she attempted suicide. Manning recently went on a hunger strike until the government agreed to allow her to have gender confirmation surgery as part of her treatment for gender dysphoria. They also note that the government has repeatedly attempted to deny Manning treatment for her gender dysphoria, including requests for hormones and to grow her hair out beyond the prescribed length for male prisoners at the USDB.
“The sole relief that Ms. Manning is seeking is to be released from military prison after serving over six years of confinement — longer than any whistleblower in the history of our country. The consequences of her conviction would remain with her, including a punitive discharge, a reduction in rank, and the loss of veteran’s benefits,” the letter continues. “We urge you to consider Ms. Manning’s plea and grant her clemency petition.”
Jason Collins, the first openly gay NBA player, is reportedly undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. Collins made headlines more than a decade ago when he came out publicly in a first-person essay for Sports Illustrated.
The 41-year-old former center earned All-American honors at Stanford before being drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2001. Over his 13-year career, he played for several NBA teams, including the New Jersey Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, and Brooklyn Nets.
President Donald Trump has commuted the 87-month prison sentence of former U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), the openly gay congressman who pleaded guilty in August 2024 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
By commuting his sentence, Trump allows the 37-year-old former congressman to walk free and resume his life. Before his imprisonment, Santos had been earning money on Cameo, charging up to $350 for personalized video messages -- from birthday greetings to shout-outs for special occasions.
Elected in 2022 amid a Republican "wave" in New York, the one-term congressman admitted to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of nearly a dozen people -- including relatives -- to fund his campaign.
A federal judge in Virginia has ordered the Pentagon to restore books and curriculum removed from schools serving military families under the Trump administration's campaign to purge so-called "woke" content from the armed forces and related institutions.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Department of Defense in April on behalf of six military families with 12 children, arguing that officials at Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools violated the students' First Amendment right to receive information. The suit was filed in response to actions taken shortly after President Donald Trump's inauguration.
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