While female service members confront the same problems as male veterans, they also face distinct struggles. Originally published in Parade. WHEN STACY KEYTE WAS DEPLOYED Iraq in 2005, her life as a young wife and mother had just begun to take shape. She had a 15-month-old son, Caleb, a happy boy who loved dancing around […]
DNC Day 2: Streets of Gore
Anti-abortion activists confront feminists in Denver. Originally published in IndyWeek. DURING THIS WEEK OF THE DEMOCRATIC National Convention, it’s hard to walk more than a few blocks in downtown Denver without encountering clusters of abortion opponents carrying billboard-sized photos of fetal remains. They often make a lot of noise—but the demonstrators outside the University Club on Monday […]
The Case of the Battered Pet
Who would suspect that a family’s animals could be pawns in domestic violence? Or that their sad condition might tip off investigators to women in trouble? The terrifying truth about cats and dogs. Originally published in O, The Oprah Magazine. MARCELLA HARB-HAUSER, DVM, WAS DOING HER morning rounds at a San Rafael, California, veterinary hospital when […]
What Makes Elizabeth Run
She doesn’t agree with her husband on every single issue. She doesn’t hesitate to say so publicly. And she doesn’t walk away from a fight. Elizabeth Edwards might just be the most refreshing political spouse since Eleanor Roosevelt. Originally published in O, The Oprah Magazine. IF ANYONE HAD QUESTIONED ELIZABETH EDWARDS’ credentials as America’s most outspoken […]
When a Woman Goes Bald
A scientist’s painful battle with balding drives her to find the genetic basis for hair loss. Originally published in Discover. ON A FRIDAY MORNING LAST JUNE, Efrat Fadida threw a denim jacket over her white summer blouse and caught a ride with her father from the small Israeli town of Gedera east to Jerusalem. Walking into Hadassah […]
Not Just a Bladder Infection
For years, physicians thought women suffering from interstitial cystitis were hysterical. Now there’s professional recognition—and hope. Originally published in Self. ON MARCH 7, 2002, PAUL MCLEAN returned to his Arlington, Virginia, home from his office at the U.S. Department of Defense and found his wife had committed suicide by shooting herself. “Diane decided she’d had enough,” says […]
‘I Had An Abortion When I Was Six Months Pregnant’
Confronted with desperately ill unborn twins and great risks to her own health, a young woman steps into a political minefield. By Gina Gonzales as told to Barry Yeoman. Originally published in Glamour. I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD CARE PASSIONATELY about the abortion issue or that I would find myself defending one of the most controversial medical procedures […]
The New Men’s Movement
Thousands of men have flocked to rallies led by the Promise Keepers, a religious organization that aims to restore male authority and make men better husbands and fathers. But what price will women pay? Originally published in New Woman. SITTING ON THE FLOOR OF THE SILVERDOME in Pontiac, Michigan, it’s hard not to fixate on the overhead […]
Murder on the Mountain
The double slaying of lesbian hikers along the Appalachian Trail remains unsolved. Beyond the murder mystery is the tragic story of two women in love. Originally published in Out. THE FOREST TRAIL THAT BEGINS at the highest point on Virginia’s Skyline Drive and drops quickly away from civilization seems an unlikely site for a double murder. As […]
