Chelsea Manning, the former US Army intelligence analyst who spent time in prison for sharing classified documents, participated in her first Pride event since her early release in May.
Manning joined the New York City Pride March Sunday as part of the American Civil Liberties Union’s contingent.
She greeted revelers with smiles and waves from a parade float, then hopped in the grand marshal convertible toward the end of the event with ACLU lawyer James Esseks and Gavin Grimm, the Virginia transgender teen who sued his school district for refusing to grant him access the boys’ restroom.
“Honored to represent the ACLU at this years NYC Pride March,” Manning said in an image she shared on social media. “Started to lose my voice from screaming so much.”
The ACLU represents Manning in her lawsuit against the US government over prison conditions.
She was sentenced in 2013 to 35 years in prison for stealing 750,000 pages of documents and videos and handing them over to WikiLeaks. As one of his final acts in office, President Barack Obama commuted Manning’s sentence in January, giving her an early release date.