Talk:Chelsea Manning

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Chelsea Manning has been listed as one of the Social sciences and society good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it.

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Date	Process	Result
May 11, 2012	Good article nominee	Listed
August 23, 2013	Good article reassessment	Kept

A fact from this article was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "On this day..." column on February 18, 2019.

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Frequently asked questions

To view an answer, click the [show] link to the right of the question.

Q1: Why is this article titled Chelsea Manning?

A majority of sources now use the name "Chelsea" when referring to Manning which would make it the common name. There has been consensus among editors since October 2013 that this name should be used.

Historically, the first 2013 formal move discussion closed, and a committee of three uninvolved and experienced admins determined the move to Chelsea Manning should be reverted back to Bradley. Discussions since that close upheld that waiting 30 days was a good idea and the time should be spent making the case for a new move discussion. In a subsequent move discussion, consensus was against a proposal of "Private Manning" as the article title. A new discussion about moving the article back to "Chelsea Manning" started on September 30 and was closed on October 8 with a consensus to move the article to "Chelsea Manning".

Q2: Why does the article refer to Manning as she?

MOS:IDENTITY says: "Any person whose gender might be questioned should be referred to by the pronouns, possessive adjectives, and gendered nouns (for example 'man/woman', 'waiter/waitress', 'chairman/chairwoman') that reflect that person's latest expressed gender self-identification. This applies in references to any phase of that person's life, unless the subject has indicated a preference otherwise. [...] Direct quotations may need to be handled as exceptions (in some cases adjusting the portion used may reduce apparent contradictions, and ' [sic]' may be used where necessary)."

Q3: Why is Manning in transgender categories?

The fact that Manning is transgender, and was a transgender inmate, a transgender soldier, etc, is notable and defining and has been discussed in multiple reliable sources (which are cited in the article). See Wikipedia:FAQ/Categorization for more information.

Q4: I feel that Wikipedia is being biased against (or towards) my beliefs here, what should I do?

Wikipedia policy mandates that articles reflect the content of reliable sources and be written from a neutral point of view, avoiding advocating for any particular perspective. Minority ideas and opinions must not be given undue weight or promotion in Wikipedia articles. It is impossible for coverage of real-world controversies to leave everyone happy – ideas change and adapt over time, and partisan viewpoints are typically entrenched and unable to self-assess bias – but seeking and maintaining neutrality is an ongoing process. Concerns over bias can be addressed with bold editing following the WP:BRD cycle or by starting a civil and constructive discussion at this talk page to suggest article improvements.

Q5: Why does Wikipedia include Chelsea Manning's deadname?

Wikipedia's guidelines say that we should include the birth name for a living transgender person in the lead sentence only if the person was notable under that name. This is the case for Chelsea Manning. By doing this, we ensure people who have only heard of Manning as her deadname can still find and recognize the article.

The contentious topics procedure applies to this article. This article relates to gender-related disputes or controversies or people associated with them.

Editors who repeatedly or seriously fail to adhere to the purpose of Wikipedia, any expected standards of behaviour, or any normal editorial process may be blocked or restricted by an administrator.

This article should adhere to the gender identity guideline because it contains material about one or more trans women. Precedence should be given to self-designation as reported in the most up-to-date reliable sources, anywhere in article space, even when it does not match what is most common in reliable sources. Any person whose gender might be questioned should be referred to by the pronouns, possessive adjectives, and gendered nouns (for example "man/woman", "waiter/waitress", "chairman/chairwoman") that reflect that person's latest expressed gender self-identification. Some people go by singular they pronouns, which are acceptable for use in articles. This applies in references to any phase of that person's life, unless the subject has indicated a preference otherwise. Former, pre-transition names of living persons may only be included if the person was notable while using the name; outside of the main biographical article, such names should only appear once, in a footnote or parentheses.

If material violating this guideline is repeatedly inserted, or if there are other related issues, please report the issue to the LGBTQ+ WikiProject, or, in the case of living people, to the BLP noticeboard.

The following Wikipedia contributors may be personally or professionally connected to the subject of this article. Relevant policies and guidelines may include conflict of interest, autobiography, and neutral point of view.

Adrian~enwiki (talk · contribs) This user has contributed to the article. This user has declared a connection.
Brian Manning (talk · contribs) This user has contributed to the article. This user has declared a connection.

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This article has been viewed enough times in a single week to appear in the Top 25 Report 4 times. The weeks in which this happened:

This article has previously been nominated to be moved. Please review prior discussions if you are considering renomination.

Discussions

RM, Arrest of Bradley Manning → Bradley Manning, Moved, 3 September 2010, discussion
RM, Bradley Manning → Alleged leaks of Bradley Manning, No consensus to move, 8 Dec 2010, discussion
Move/revert, Bradley Manning → Breanna Manning, Move was reverted, 5 May 2012, discussion
RM, Chelsea Manning → Bradley Manning, initial move of the article to "Chelsea Manning" is reverted, returning the article to the original title, "Bradley Manning", 31 August 2013, discussion
RM, Bradley Manning → Private Manning, Not moved, 4 September 2013, discussion
RM, Bradley Manning → Chelsea Manning, Moved, 1 October 2013, discussion
RM, Chelsea Manning → Manning (U.S. Army), Not moved, 14 March 2014, discussion

The content of Chelsea Manning gender identity media coverage was merged into Chelsea Manning on 18 September 2013. The former page's history now serves to provide attribution for that content in the latter page, and it must not be deleted as long as the latter page exists. For the discussion at that location, see its talk page.

This article has been mentioned by multiple media organizations:

Mark Joseph Stern (August 22, 2013). "Wikipedia Beats Major News Organizations, Perfectly Reflects Chelsea Manning's New Gender". Slate. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
Robin Abcarian (August 22, 2013). "Bradley Manning wants to live as a woman named Chelsea Manning". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
Justine Sharrock (August 22, 2013). "Wikipedia Changed Its Entry To Properly Reflect Chelsea Manning's Name". BuzzFeed. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
Steven Nelson (August 22, 2013). "Bradley Manning: 'Real Me' Is a Woman Named Chelsea". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
Ryan Kearney (August 22, 2013). "He Is Not Bradley Manning. She Is Chelsea Manning. Deal With It". The New Republic. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
Barbara Kollmeyer (August 22, 2013). "Bradley Manning: 'I am a female'". MarketWatch. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
Alex Hern (August 23, 2013). "Behind the Wikipedia wars: what happened when Bradley Manning became Chelsea". New Statesman. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
Tim Sampson (August 23, 2013). "Wikipedia battle rages over Chelsea Manning's gender identity". The Daily Dot. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
Andrew O'Hehir (August 24, 2013). "What's in a name? Chelsea Manning and Muhammad Ali". Salon. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
Brad Knickerbocker (August 25, 2013). "'Bradley' or 'Chelsea' – What to call Pvt. Manning?". The Christian Science Monitor.
Katy Steinmetz (August 28, 2013). "Media Makes the Manning Switch". Time. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
Jay Hathaway (August 31, 2013). "Wikipedia decides Chelesa Manning will remain 'Bradley' for now". The Daily Dot. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
Alex Hern (September 4, 2013). "Chelsea Manning gets put back in the closet by Wikipedia". New Statesman. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
Alex Hern (October 24, 2013). "Chelsea Manning name row: Wikipedia editors banned from trans pages". The Guardian. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
Kevin Collier (October 26, 2013). "After Chelsea Manning row, Wikipedia bans transphobic editors". The Daily Dot. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
Robert Hart and Elissa Welle (October 29, 2025). "Grokipedia is racist, transphobic, and loves Elon Musk". The Verge. Retrieved November 5, 2025.

Inconsistencies regarding her name

Latest comment: 11 months ago4 comments4 people in discussion

In the sections regarding her earlier life, Chelseas deadname is used interchangeably with Chelsea. I am unaware of the policy regarding biographies and name changes but I think that Chelsea should be used whenever possible. AlighieriJvc (talk) 18:46, 4 November 2025 (UTC)Reply

Where are you seeing Manning's deadname in the early life section? I only see it in the first sentence of the article, which is consistent with WP:DEADNAME. Funcrunch (talk) 20:00, 4 November 2025 (UTC)Reply

If what you're seeing is the reference titles, we cannot reasonably alter them, as they need to be accurate for verifiability. But her prior name appears nowhere in the text of the article between the first sentence and the court case (although a user handle built off of the name is mentioned once.) -- Nat Gertler (talk) 20:27, 4 November 2025 (UTC)Reply

Please review the FAQ above. cheers. anastrophe, an editor he is. 20:41, 4 November 2025 (UTC)Reply

New infobox photo

Latest comment: 7 months ago6 comments5 people in discussion

Hi all!

I shot a portrait of Chelsea Manning today and I've gone ahead and updated the infobox photo. That said, I recognize that the original image, from 2022, was not especially outdated, and might be considered more flattering that the current photo.

I have no dog in this race and am leaving this topic just to let anyone know that if the community prefers the original image and wants to revert this change... I have no issue with this. Chive Cream Cheese (talk) 00:21, 2 March 2026 (UTC)Reply

@Chive Cream Cheese: Thank you for your photography! I personally prefer the prior 2022 image. SocDoneLeft (talk) 00:23, 2 March 2026 (UTC)Reply

Good photo! For my part, I also prefer Manning's own portrait (now A). I don't anticipate she has dramatically changed appearance since 2022, but is a bit more made up in her own portrait. –RoxySaunders 🏳️‍⚧️ (talk • stalk) 07:12, 2 March 2026 (UTC)Reply

Agreed that both photos are good, but I also prefer the 2022 image. Funcrunch (talk) 17:32, 2 March 2026 (UTC)Reply

The 2022 one has better lighting and is clearly a professional headshot, as opposed to 2026 one which fits into the classic genre of "a Wikipedian candidly snapped this but it's the only free photo we have". Not to say it's a bad photo, but I think the 2022 one is superior. CaptainEek ^{Edits Ho Cap'n!}⚓ 22:15, 2 March 2026 (UTC)Reply
Well, I think that's enough of a consensus for me. I've reverted my change back to the 2022 photo. Chive Cream Cheese (talk) 05:04, 3 March 2026 (UTC)Reply

Gallery

(A) 2022 portrait, Manning's current Twitter PFP
(B) 2026 photograph contributed by Chive Cream Cheese

Discrepancy

Latest comment: 5 months ago2 comments2 people in discussion

The lead states:

"In 2018, Manning challenged incumbent senator Ben Cardin for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate election in her home state of Maryland. She received 6.1% of the vote; Cardin won renomination with 79.2%."

The body of the article states different numbers:

"On June 26, 2018, Manning finished second among eight Democrats vying for their party's US Senate nomination in Maryland's primary election. Manning received 5.8% of the votes. Incumbent Ben Cardin won renomination with 80.4% of the votes cast." OrdinaryOtter (talk) 14:54, 28 April 2026 (UTC)Reply

Fixed. (I checked the source, and the numbers were 5.8% and 80.4%.) 𝕷𝖚𝖓𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖚𝖕𝖎𝖞𝖊☾𝕿☽⚸ 03:50, 13 May 2026 (UTC)Reply

Home state

Latest comment: 4 months ago3 comments2 people in discussion

How is her home state maryland if she was born in oklahoma? the early life section doesnt even mention maryland Froglord (Finnfrog99) (talk) 12:59, 22 June 2026 (UTC)Reply

I just read it as Maryland was her home, which it had been since returning to the US. I don't know that it's necessary to state, but it does serve to differentiate her from someone like Hillary Clinton, who bought a house in New York in order to run for the Senate. -- irn (talk) 14:39, 22 June 2026 (UTC)Reply

Thats a very confusing way to word it, it sounds like she lived in maryland before moving from US Froglord (Finnfrog99) (talk) 14:42, 22 June 2026 (UTC)Reply

Semi-protected edit request on 14 October 2026

Latest comment: 15 days ago3 comments3 people in discussion

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

The subject is a transgender woman, and some pronouns were incorrectly edited to misgender the subject. Please change, "about his treatment held outside Quantico" to "about her treatment held outside Quantico" Please fix the gendered pronouns in "guards verbally harassed him, taunting him with conflicting orders" to "guards verbally harassed her, taunting her with conflicting orders" Thank you for your work, I appreciate you! FablesOfASillyGoose (talk) 02:36, 14 October 2026 (UTC)Reply

Already done Cannolis (talk) 02:55, 14 October 2026 (UTC)Reply

Hi @FablesOfASillyGoose:

Done CopyleftEverything (talk) 03:29, 14 October 2026 (UTC)Reply