Support for Bradley Manning continued to grow on Thursday following a statement read by Manning’s lawyer on the TODAY show announcing that going forward the whistleblower, sentenced to 35 years in prison on Wednesday, would like to be regarded as a woman.

“As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me,” Manning said in the statement read by lawyer David Coombs. “I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female. Given the way I have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible.”

Coombs indicated that his client kept the desire to transition out of the public domain throughout his lengthy detention and controversial trial because he did not want it to distract from the real issues in the case.

On Twitter, where the hashtag #freebrad had been trending along with a call for Manning’s pardon for what supporters consider his (now her) brave stance against US foreign policy and the war crimes and misdeeds that took place in Iraq, Afghanistan and elswewhere, was slowly being replaced with #freechelsea on Thursday with most expressing admiration for another brave stand taken by the former Army private first class.

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Tweets about “#freechelsea”

Manning’s full statement to the public follows:

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