Complex sentence: Nicks writes that Manning would travel back to Washington, D.C., for visits, where an ex-boyfriend helped her find her way around the city's gay community, introducing her to lobbyists, activists and White House aides.
Split into simpler sentences: Nicks writes that Manning would travel back to Washington, D.C., for visits. An ex-boyfriend helped her find her way around the city's gay community, introducing her to lobbyists, activists and White House aides.