Chelsea Manning , the US soldier serving a 35-year prison sentence for a massive document leak , should be addressed in gender-neutral or feminine terms in court documents . Judges made the ruling as Manning continues her transition into a woman . Chelsea , 27 , formerly known as Bradley Manning , is incarcerated in Fort Leavenworth in Kansas . She had already secured permission last year to be known under the name 'Chelsea ' instead of 'Bradley ' . Chelsea Manning , pictured here ( center ) in 2013 before she began her transition , was known as Bradley when she went on trial for the massive document leak to the WikiLeaks website . Chelsea , 27 , pictured here in a wig and lipstick in an undated photograph , is allowed to wear women 's underwear , undergo psychotherapy , and has had hormone therapy for gender reassignment approved . The former intelligence analyst had also been allowed to wear women 's underwear following a decision last year , and to undergo psychotherapy . The latest move comes a month after the U.S. Army approved hormone therapy for Manning 's gender reassignment - a first for the American military . 'All future formal papers filed before this court and all future orders and decisions issued by this court shall either be neutral , e.g . Private First Class Manning or appellant , or employ a feminine pronoun ' said a court order on Wednesday . Manning , pictured on stickers worn by a demonstrator , has now won the right to be addressed in gender-neutral or feminine terms in court . However 'in respect to historic fact , ' the court will retain masculine wordage used in previous decisions , including Manning 's conviction . The news has been welcomed by Manning 's defense team . 'The court rightly recognized that dignifying Chelsea 's womanhood is not the trivial matter that the government attempted to frame it as , ' said Chase Strangio , a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union , which was involved in Manning 's defense . Manning was convicted in August 2013 of espionage and other offenses after admitting to handing over more than 700,000 classified documents to the WikiLeaks website while stationed in Iraq .
Chelsea Manning , formerly Bradley , will be referred to in female or gender neutral terms as she transitions in a woman as per a court order . Manning , 27 , has already won the right to be called 'Chelsea ' , to wear women 's underwear and undergo psychotherapy . In a first for the U.S. military , last month hormone therapy for Manning 's gender reassignment was also approved . Manning is currently serving 35 years in Kansas , Fort Leavenworth , for espionage and other offenses linked to the WikiLeaks scandal .