In this undated file photo provided by the U.S. Army, Pfc. Bradley Manning poses for a photo wearing a wig and lipstick. Manning emailed his military therapist the photo with a letter titled, "My problem," in which he described his issues with gender identity and his hope that a military career would "get rid of it." On Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2013, Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking a trove of classified information to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.NEW YORK -Bradley Manning says he plans to live as a woman and begin hormone therapy, a day after the soldier was sentenced to 35 years in prison for sending classified information to WikiLeaks.
In a written statement provided to NBC's "Today" show on Thursday morning, Manning said he planned to live as a woman named Chelsea.
A military judge announced the sentence in Manning's court-martial on Wednesday. Manning's struggle with gender identity disorder -- his sense that he was a man trapped in a woman's body -- was a key part of his defense.
Attorneys had presented evidence of Manning's struggle with gender identity, including a photo of the soldier in a blond wig and lipstick that he sent to a therapist.