Chelsea Manning has posted the first photo of herself on social media a day after leaving prison, where she served seven years for releasing 75,000 documents to WikiLeaks.
“Okay, so here I am everyone!!” the photo was captioned Thursday, showing Manning wearing makeup and and low-cut top.
When she entered the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 2010, Manning was a 22-year-old Army Private named Bradley Manning, convicted by a military tribunal under the Espionage and Computer Fraud Abuse Acts and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Manning came out as transgender just after her sentencing in August 2013.
Although the military at first refused to provide any accommodations for her gender dysphoria, a settlement was reached after she filed a lawsuit in 2014, and Manning received hormone therapy and grooming items provided to women in custody.
Manning had her sentence commuted by President Barack Obama three days before he left office. Still, she served more time than any other whistleblower in U.S. history.
Manning is still on active duty while she appeals her 2013 conviction and is subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
“After so many years of government control over her body and gender, I know she is eager to grow her hair, express her gender and negotiate decisions on her own terms,” ACLU attorney Chase Strangio said, NBC News reported.
Manning, who seems to be quickly acclimating to social media, also tweeted a few other photos celebrating her release and a new start.
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