Bradley Manning A US Army intelligence specialist accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of sensitive items to WikiLeaks claims his status as a gay soldier before the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" played an important role in his actions. Lawyers for Private First Class Bradley Manning say "an environment hostile to homosexuality contributed to mental and emotional problems that should have barred him from having access to sensitive material". Among the items Manning is accused of leaking are Iraq and Afghanistan war logs, State Department cables and a military video of a 2007 American helicopter attack in Iraq. AP reports the defence has revealed that Manning had written to one of his supervisors in Baghdad before his arrest, saying he was suffering from gender-identity disorder. He included a picture of himself dressed as a woman and talked about how it was affecting his ability to do his job and even think clearly.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 20th December 2011 - 1:46pm