Lawyer: Manning’s gender issues being assessed
By DAVID DISHNEAU and MICHELLE R. SMITH Associated Press September 25, 2013 1:52PM
Attorney David Coombs, who defended Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning against charges of leaking classified information, speaks on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013, at Roger Williams University Law School in Bristol, R.I. Manning is at Fort Leavenworth prison in Kansas serving a 35-year sentence for a July conviction on espionage, theft and other offenses. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
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BRISTOL, R.I. (AP) — The lawyer who defended Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning against charges of leaking classified information says his client is being thoroughly assessed at a military prison for gender identity disorder.
Civilian attorney David Coombs also says he is hopeful the military will allow Manning to receive hormone therapy at Fort Leavenworth.
Coombs spoke Wednesday at Roger Williams University School of Law in Rhode Island.
Manning is serving a 35-year sentence for a July conviction on espionage and other offenses for sending more than 700,000 documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.
Manning, previously known as Bradley, now says she wishes to live as a woman. The military previously said it does not provide hormone therapy.
Coombs says the person assessing Manning’s gender dysphoria has their heart in the right place.
