Bradley Manning—the Army Private who received a 35-year prison sentence yesterday for leaking thousands of classified documents to Wikileaks—has come out as a transgender woman and will now be known as Chelsea Manning.

In an interview with the Today show, Manning’s chief counsel David Coombs read a letter from his client that said, “I am Chelsea Manning. I am female.” The letter explained that this is something Manning’s been dealing with her whole life and she would like to begin hormone therapy “as soon as possible.”

Although Manning has been openly gay, her gender dysphoria has been something that’s been not quite clear in the past. During her trial, Manning’s defense team suggested that her “struggles with gender identity as a gay soldier were a factor in his decision to leak.” The defense said she emailed her supervisor in April 2010 explaining that she always identified as transgender and joined the Army hoping to “get rid of it.” Now, however, Manning is fully embracing her transgender nature and hopes that her supporters will continue supporting her in her transition.

Now that Manning is heading to prison to serve her 35-year sentence, the lingering question is if the prison will provide her with the hormones needed to aid her transition. Coombs said that he hopes Fort Leavenworth—the military prison where Manning is likely to serve her time—will “do the right thing” and provide hormone therapy, although the facility does not do that or gender-reassignment surgery for their prisoners, according to a Fort Leavenworth spokesperson.

Chelsea Manning in July. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

In the meantime, Coombs and the rest of Manning’s counsel will do everything in their power to free her —including a campaign to get a presidential pardon—and will fight to ensure she’ll get the hormone therapy needed while she serves her 35-year sentence, which could see her out on parole in as early as seven years.

“Throughout this long ordeal, your letters of support and encouragement have helped keep me strong,” Manning also wrote in her letter to Today. “I am forever indebted to those who wrote to me, made a donation to my defense fund, or came to watch a portion of the trial.” The letter was signed Chelsea E. Manning.