Military forces imprisoned Chelsea Manning to follow male grooming standards

And she's going to sue

Chelsea Manning sued the US government for the right to live as a woman (Reuters)

Imprisoned US Army Private Chelsea Manning has said she will take the military to court over for preventing her from growing her hair out.

"Bad news for me," Manning tweeted, "Military continues to make me cut my hair to male standards."

But she is not without resolve, vowing to "fight in court".

Manning, formerly known as 'Bradley', came out as a transgender woman in August 2013, the day after she was handed a 35-year sentence by the military for leaking thousands of classified documents to Wikileaks.

She is eligible for parole in 2021.

"Even though the military agrees that allowing Chelsea to grow her hair is a critical part of her treatment plan, they continue to deny her basic human and constitutional rights," Chase Strangio, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, told Sputnik News.

This challenge is the latest in a series Manning has faced behind bars.

Last September, she successfully sued the military for denying her hormone treatment that would allow her to transition to a woman.

And, after being convinced last month of prison misconduct, she faces a three-week period of 'restricted activities' — meaning the Army will prevent her from participating in all activities deemed recreational.

It was expected that Manning would be moved in February from medium-security prison Leavenworth to a minimum-security facility, but that transfer may now have been delayed.