Almost 60,000 people have signed a petition which will be presented to the Nobel Committee asking them to give Bradley the Nobel Peace Prize.
This is important for three reasons: Bradley deserves it; the prize money will help with legal costs; and, last but not least, it will be of enormous help in the campaign to raise awareness of his case to help ensure he is treated fairly and leniently.
Please, sign here. Thank you.
As this issue arises from time to time in online discussions we thought it useful to post a clarification from the Bradley Manning Support Network concerning the latest news on Bradley’s gender identity:
At the beginning of the [Bradley Manning Support Network's] campaign, our Project Director Jeff Paterson asked via Bradley’s family and attorney what name he preferred, and the answer was “Brad or Bradley Manning.” A few months ago, we asked via his attorney more specifically about the gender issue, and he responded that he “did not wish to address the gender issue publicly until he is able to get onto the next stage of his life.” – 8 May 2013
Chase Madar, author of The Passion of Bradley Manning, has also written on this issue:
What role does Manning’s gender identity have in the case and why do you call him a man when he has used the name Breanna?He has used the name Breanna Manning on a twitter account, and experimented with crossdressing. He was evidently on the point of gender transition before he was arrested. But these facts are not sufficient to decide to call him Breanna, without clear and expressed permission from the individual in question. And Manning has not communicated on this point.What does it mean? Some people who are not particularly sympathetic to Manning have tried to make this his motive, calling the leaks an antisocial act. But sexual identity is an important part of anyone’s personal story, even cisgendered straight guys, and we don’t explore that around their deeds.
The position of Queer Friends of Bradley Manning is that we will always follow Bradley’s wishes so we will call him Brad, Bradley, or Bradley Manning until such time as we hear otherwise.
For background on this issue please read Bradley Or Breanna?.
The president of San Francisco Pride’s board, Lisa Williams, pronounced the board’s decision to award Bradley Manning the position of honorary grand marshal at this year’s Pride as ‘an error’.
I helped set up Queer Friends of Bradley Manning in 2011 because, for me, Bradley epitomises what every good queer should be: someone who sees injustice and doesn’t sit quietly on their behind waiting for someone else to make things better; someone who, against all odds, stands up and fights for the wellbeing of others without concern for their own personal safety.
Where would the queer community be without people like Bradley? Where would San Francisco Pride be without people like Bradley? Indeed, where would Lisa Williams and her board be without people like Bradley?
When Lisa Williams said the board’s decision was ‘an error’, she was wrong. The decision to rescind Bradley’s place as honorary grand marshal was an insult, an insult to the queer community Bradley supported, an insult to Americans, the essence of which he epitomises absolutely; and finally, to Bradley himself, a modern day queer American hero who tried as best he could to try to make our pale blue dot a slightly nicer place on which to live knowing full well he faced a life in prison or possibly death.
Queer Friends of Bradley Manning is now campaigning to have Bradley Manning awarded the position of honorary grand marshall at London Pride 2013 so that we can pick up the torch that San Francisco Pride’s board so ignominiously dropped.
Oliver Shykles – Queer Friends of Bradley Manning
If you want to join us in campaigning for Bradley’s freedom, Queer Friends of Bradley Manning is on Facebook and Twitter.
Political vetting of Grand Marshal is anti-democratic.
The “Patriot test” has no place in the LGBT movement.
Manning is a hero for exposing US war crimes
London – 30 April 2013
The organisers of San Francisco LGBT Pride have revoked the nomination of gay rights advocate and military whistleblower Private Bradley Manning as Grand Marshal of this year’s Pride parade in June. Read their statement:http://fb.me/RhAlB44X
“Pride leaders are wrong on facts and ethics. Bradley revealed US war crimes and cover ups. He caused no harm to US military personnel or civilians. He was nominated as Grand Marshal according to the rules of San Francisco Pride. The decision to ban Bradley is political vetting, which has no place in the LGBT movement. He should be reinstated as Grand Marshal,” said Peter Tatchell, Director of the human rights organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation.
“The Pride organisers are acting like neo-McCarthyites by demanding that any one nominated as a Grand Marshal must first pass a patriot test. Unquestioning allegiance to US government and military policy should not be a requirement of a Grand Marshal.
“By deposing Bradley, the Pride organisers are saying that he was wrong to expose criminal acts by the US military. They are siding with a military system that perpetrated war crimes and their cover up.
“Bradley is a hero who has attempted to uphold international human rights law against those who have violated the laws of war.
“Manning is openly gay. He has participated in LGBT Pride marches and he campaigned against the homophobic US military policy, ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’. In 2008, he attended a rally in New York to oppose attempts to ban same-sex marriage in California.
“He has spent nearly three years in jail without trial and for many months he was subjected to cruel, degrading and humiliating mistreatment by the US military authorities.
“Private Manning, a US military intelligence analyst, was arrested in Iraq following the release by Wikileaks of video footage of a US Apache helicopter attack that gunned down 11 Iraqi civilians in 2007, including two Reuters journalists and men who had gone to the aid of the dead and injured. Two children were gravely wounded when the US helicopter opened fire on their van. The sickening video records US soldiers laughing and joking at the killings.
“Manning exposed this massacre by US troops in Iraq. The video of the massacre can be seen at: www.collateralmurder.com
“This slaughter had previously been the subject of a cover-up by the US armed forces, which claimed dishonestly that the helicopter gunship had been engaged in combat operations against armed insurgents.
“It is only thanks to Bradley Manning that we now know the truth about this killing of innocent civilians.
“Manning is a humanist and a man with a conscience. When he discovered human rights violations by the US armed forces and duplicity by the US government, he was shocked and distressed. He became disillusioned with his government’s foreign and military policy; believing it was betraying the US ideals of democracy and human rights.
“Bradley believes that US citizens have a right to know what their government is doing in their name. Bradley should not be in prison. The charges should be dropped. Set him free. Instead, put on trial those US soldiers who killed innocent civilians and those who protected the perpetrators.
“Bradley Manning is a true patriot, not a traitor. He reveres the founding ideals of the US: an open, honest government, accountable to the people, that pursues its policies by lawful means and respects human rights.
“At great personal risk, Manning sought to expose grave crimes that were perpetrated and then hidden by the US government and military. These are the characteristics of a man of conscience, motivated by idealism and altruism. There is no evidence that his leaks harmed anyone.
“Thanks to Manning, we, the people, know the truth. Bradley Manning acted in the spirit of the gay liberation pioneers by challenging oppression and unjust authority. His stand for truth and justice should be applauded and honoured at this year’s Pride parade,” said Mr Tatchell.
Note:
Four decades ago, Peter Tatchell refused to comply with the Vietnam draft in his homeland of Australia on the grounds that it was an unjust, immoral war.
Some people have claimed that Bradley Manning is not gay but trans. This is based on a small number of chat logs some years ago where he appears to identify as transgender. However, at no time since then has Bradley made any public statement describing himself as trans or asking that he be described that way.
Further information:
Peter Tatchell
Director, Peter Tatchell Foundation – 0207 403 1790
Queer Friends of Bradley Manning are pleased to report that we had another successful march at World Pride following our wonderful debut last year. London Pride this year saw its fair share of problems but the march itself was fantastic, there was a wonderful sense of solidarity and of marching despite the best efforts of the powers-that-be. We got a fantastic response from the crowds; an estimated 25,000 turned up to watch the march.
Next stop: Brighton Pride on 1st September!
Big shout out to UK Friends of Bradley Manning and WISE UP for Bradley Manning! Thanks for all your help and support.
Our thanks also to the amazing photographer Robert Coxwell for taking this great picture of us.
This Saturday (7th July) is World Pride in London and Queer Friends of Bradley Manning are marching again after their successful debut last year.
Please come and join us! We’ll be meeting from between 10:15 and 11:00 (the procession starts at 11:00 and I wouldn’t advise coming much after 11:00 – it will be difficult to join us once we’ve moved off).
The pre-march line-up takes place in Baker Street. Queer Friends of Bradley Manning are in the Green Section which meets from half way down Dorset Street up to Paddington Street – so if you walk that stretch of Baker Street you should find us).
Please call me if you have problems finding us please give me a call (you can get my number by emailing me at ‘queerfriendsofbradley gmail com’. I’ll get there for 10:15 and I’ll lay the banner on the ground for people to see.
The march finishes at 13:30 at Whitehall where we’ll have to disperse.
We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!
Please feel free to distribute this information to anyone who you think would be interested in joining us.
Queer Friends of Bradley Manning are confirmed as marching at World Pride in London on July 7th! Please send us an email (queerfriendsofbradley@gmail.com) if you’re interested in joining us.
UPDATE: December 24 2011 00:38 GMT We have heard from a representative of bradleymanning.org that Bradley’s close friends only “heard or knew of male pronouns” but bradleymanning.org are advising people to be gender neutral where possible. Queer Friends of Bradley Manning will follow this advice until we hear otherwise. END UPDATE
There have been quite a few debates on the internet recently about the fact that Bradley has referred to himself, on a few occasions and in different contexts, as possibly being transgender and having the name ‘Breanna’. The post Why does the media still refer to “Bradley” Manning? The Curious Silence Around a Transgender Hero is a good example and it contains the best arguments presented so far as to why he should be called Breanna – the posts beneath the article, many written by trans people, are well worth reading.
Queer Friends of Bradley Manning want to briefly lay out the reasons why we, for the time being at least, will continue to refer to Bradley as Bradley and not Breanna.
Firstly, Bradley has at no point publicly asked to be called Breanna: the chat-log conversations were meant to be private conversations, and the discussions he had with his counsellor were also meant to be private – we are not sure how his counsellor feels it is okay to talk to the media about private discussions he has had with Bradley in a professional setting, we feel this is quite appalling and highly unprofessional – and because Bradley had these on- and off-line conversations with the expectation that they would remain private means that we feel that it is not right to use the information as if it were public information and could somehow constitute a request, public or otherwise, for Bradley to be referred to as Breanna. It is also not yet the case that the chat-logs have been confirmed as being, beyond a shadow of a doubt, authentic.
Secondly, we understand that he had used the name ‘Breanna’ to set up other online accounts, however, given the prevalence of people using pseudonyms on the internet we don’t feel that this is a strong enough justification for us to refer to him as Breanna.
As soon as Bradley publicly expresses a wish to be called Breanna we will totally respect and support that decision, but until such time as he does we feel it more appropriate to call him Bradley.
Clip of today’s protest outside the US embassy in London.
Saturday 17 December is Bradley’s 24th birthday, and there is an international call-out for support and solidarity actions on that day.
Saturday 17 December: What’s On
LONDON, US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, from 2pm (Queer Friends of Bradley Manning will be here!)
Assemble at the US Embassy from 2pm for a rally with speakers, open mic and live music.
Occupy LSX
There will be something going on for Bradley Manning at Occupy LSX (St Paul’s) in London at 6pm on 17 December. (Queer Friends of Bradley Manning will be here too!)
It would be great if every Occupy site in the country marked the day in some way.
CARDIFF, Queen Street, from midday
Free food and information stall with Cardiff Anarchist Black Cross from midday on Queen Street.
Come along to the stall and send a solidarity message to Bradley Manning.
Bradley Manning’s Mum is Welsh and still lives in Pembrokeshire. Bradley Manning lived and went to school in Wales for three years as a teenager.
There will be other autonomous actions for Bradley Manning taking place in and around Cardiff over the weekend.
Everywhere else
This is a call-out for autonomous actions for Bradley Manning everywhere on 17 December. Use your imagination!
A few ideas in this post.
