Manning: I’m Treated ‘Like a Joke’

Former U.S. Army private Chelsea Manning, who is serving time in prison for leaking classified material to Wikileaks, has given her first interview about transitioning to life as a woman to Cosmopolitan. Manning, 27, is receiving hormone therapy and treatment for gender dysphoria. She says obtaining medical care has been difficult because she feels “like a joke” to military officials and being prohibited from growing her hair is “painful and awkward.” Manning added: “I am torn up. I get through each day OK, but at night, when I’m alone in my room, I finally burn out and crash.”