US Army refuses to convert WikiLeaks whistleblower Manning into woman

Bradley Manning, the American soldier convicted of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, has been refused to be converted into a woman.

Manning will now serve his 35-year sentence as a man, not as 'Chelsea', the woman he wishes to be, an Army spokesman has said.

George Wright said that the army does not provide hormone therapy or sex-reassignment surgery for gender-identity disorder.

A day after being sentenced for leaking 700,000 classified documents to WikiLeaks, Manning, in a statement to the media, said that he wanted to be a female.

According to the Washington Times, Wright said Manning would have access to mental healthcare professionals, including a psychiatrist, psychologist and social workers during his sentencing.

He added that the army will however not be paying for Manning to undergo what transgender activists call 'transition'.

Manning's lawyer, David Coombes said if the military fails to accommodate his client's desire to be a woman, he would "do everything in his power to force them to," the report added.