published articles
Recent
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New York Times: Gun Owners Love Their children Too. Dec 13, 2022.
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Vanity Fair: How Gabby Giffords Survived a Shot To The Head, And Outsmarted The NRA. Sep 24, 2020 (October print issue).
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Vanity Fair: Why Warren Is Wowing Democrats and Biden Is Bumming Them Out. Oct 10, 2019.
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The Millions: My Year in Reading. Dec 18, 2018.
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Vanity Fair: My latest: My Vanity Fair contributors page.
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Vanity Fair: Meet the Teenager Masterminding Parkland’s Midterms Push. Sep 5, 2018. (In the print issue dated October.)
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Vanity Fair: "Fight for Our Lives": How One Parkland Survivor Experienced the March on Washington. Mar 25, 2018.
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Vanity Fair: Inside The Secret Meme Lab Designed to Propel #NeverAgain beyond the March. Mar 22, 2018.
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Vanity Fair: Seventeen Minutes Is Not Enough: How The Parkland Walkout Erupted Into A Mini-Rebellion. March 14, 2018.
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Vanity Fair: The News Forgets: The Parkland students' race to make history. Mar 7, 2018
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Politico Magazine: Will the Parkland kids change the gun debate? Feb 20, 2018
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Vanity Fair: "Betrayal": Transgender troops react to Trump's ban Aug 2, 2017
Favorites
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Vanity Fair: How Gabby Giffords Survived a Shot To The Head, And Outsmarted The NRA. Sep 24, 2020 (October print issue).
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Vanity Fair: My Genius Mentor: Lucia Berlin Sep 11, 2015. The New York Times heralded Lucia a genius, when she was "discovered" eleven years after her death. I called her my mentor one of my best friends.
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Salon: Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Fall in Love Part 1; Part 2 Jun 6 and 7, 2000. This 5-month project was the impetus for my gay soldiers book. Won the GLAAD Media Award for best online story of the year. Part 1. Part 2.
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Vanity Fair: To Be a Gay Cadet at West Point These Days Jun 30, 2015. I didn't go to West Point for a story, it was just to research my book. What I found . . . I had to write a story, and Vanity Fair was eager to publish it.
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New Republic: The Injustice Collectors Aug 31, 2015
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New York Times: The Barbie Way of Knowledge Jun 15, 2002. My first piece for the Times. Such an unexpected joy. I thought I was sent there to make fun of the collector nerds. I fell in love with them.
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Slate: The Depressive and the Psychopath Apr 20, 2004. Five years after Columbine, I finally had a good bead on Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, and was finally able to publish the results of my lengthy interviews with FBI Supervisory Special Agent Dwayne Fuselier.
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Newsweek: What Does A Killer Think? July 30, 2012. There is no profile of the mass killer. But to my surprise, it turns out there are three profiles, which fit the vast majority. I lay out each one.
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New Republic: The Injustice Collectors Aug 31, 2015. I have been fascinated by this phenomenon, which fits some of the most vicious, callous killers.
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New Republic: Guantanamo Bay: The 9/11 Trial Has Gone Completely Off the Rails Apr 17, 2014. I spent a week in Guantanamo researching my gay soldiers book, and reporting for New Republic on the military working its way toward (though actually further a way from) the military trial of five men accused of plotting 9/11. I published these two stories.
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New Republic: Guantanamo Bay: The Tragicomedy of the 9/11 Trial Apr 15, 2014.
By topic
chronological within topic
Parkland / Gun Safety
See Separate Mass Murder section
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New York Times: Gun Owners Love Their children Too. Dec 13, 2022.
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Vanity Fair: How Gabby Giffords Survived a Shot To The Head, And Outsmarted The NRA. Sep 24, 2020 (October print issue).
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Vanity Fair: How Gabby Giffords Survived a Shot To The Head, And Outsmarted The NRA. Sep 24, 2020 (October print issue).
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Vanity Fair: Why Warren Is Wowing Democrats and Biden Is Bumming Them Out. Oct 10, 2019.
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Vanity Fair: Meet the Teenager Masterminding Parkland’s Midterms Push. Sep 5, 2018. (In the print issue dated October.)
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My latest: I can't always update this page promptly while reporting on Parkland, but my Vanity Fair contributors page will always have the latest.
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Vanity Fair: "Fight for Our Lives": How one Parkland survivor experienced the March on Washington. Mar 25, 2018.
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Vanity Fair: Inside the secret meme lab designed to propel #NeverAgain beyond the March. Mar 22, 2018.
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Vanity Fair: Seventeen Minutes Is Not Enough: How The Parkland Walkout Erupted Into A Mini-Rebellion. March 14, 2018.
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Vanity Fair: The News Forgets: The Parkland students' race to make history. Mar 7, 2018
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Politico Magazine: Will the Parkland kids change the gun debate? Feb 20, 2018
Mass Murder
See Separate Parkland and Columbine Sections
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Vanity Fair: The Orlando shooter may have been gay? The gay community isn't surprised Jun 15, 2016
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Vanity Fair: Mass Murder at the gay bar: Watching my worlds collide Jun 13, 2016
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New Republic: A Skeptic's Guide to Media Coverage of Mass Shootings Oct 1, 2015
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Daily Beast: Why Are Some Evangelicals So Angry? Sep 19, 2015
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New Republic: Why Does the Columbine Myth About "Martyr" Cassie Bernall Persist? Sep 16, 2015
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New Republic: The Injustice Collectors Aug 31, 2015
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BuzzFeed: 'Disappear' the killers Sep 17, 2013
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Slate: Is Boston Like Columbine? Apr 19, 2013
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Newsweek: What Does A Killer Think? Jul 30, 2012
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New York Times op-ed: Don't Jump to Conclusions About the [Aurora] Killer Jul 22, 2012
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New York Times Book Review: Review of The Bully Society Apr 27, 2012
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New York Daily News: How to stop the next Columbine Mar 4, 2012
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Daily Beast: Why Do We Keep Telling The Same False Stories About School Shooters? Mar 3, 2012
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AOL News: After Tucson: Don't Rush the Healing Jan 12, 2011
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WNYC: Shooters Aren't Just Politically Motivated or Crazy Jan 10, 2011
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The Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma: A Reporter's Lessons from Past Shooting Jan 10, 2011
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Slate's XX Factor: Understanding Sam Hengel, the Gunman at Marinette High School Dec 2, 2010
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Slate's XX Factor: Columbine's Lost Lesson (Depression and the Aussie twins' suicide pact.) Nov 23, 2010
- Slate: Seven Deadly Traits: Decoding the Confession of Joseph Stack Feb 19, 2010
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Daily Beast: A Rare Breed of Killer Feb 13, 2010
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Times of London: Columbine was not a typical teen killing - there's no such thing May 1, 2009
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Washington Post: Review of No Right to Remain Silent: The Tragedy at Virginia Tech, by Lucinda Roy Mar 29, 2009
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New York Times: Op-Ed: Talk to the Chos Apr 27, 2007
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Slate: Was Cho really like the Columbine killers? Apr 20, 2007
Columbine
Additional Mass Murder Section Above
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Vanity Fair: Columbine Mother Sue Klebold's First TV Interview Was a Startling Look at the Parent of a Mass Shooter Feb 13, 2016
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Daily Beast: Columbine: 17 Years of Aftershocks (Excerpt from new Columbine epilogue) Feb 13, 2016
- The Daily Beast: The Last Columbine Mystery Feb 24, 2010
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Slate: The Four Most Important Lessons of Columbine Apr 29, 2009
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Slate: The Depressive and the Psychopath Apr 20, 2004
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Salon: New clues in Columbine killings Nov 22, 2000
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Salon: Unexpected healing at Columbine High Aug 24, 2000
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Salon: Columbine's unanswered questions May 17, 2000
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Salon: Images of Columbine terror for sale Apr 27, 2000
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Salon: Columbine 'cover-up' Apr 21, 2000
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Salon: Stunning new Columbine charges Apr 20, 2000
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Salon: Political shootout over Columbine Apr, 13, 2000
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Salon: More Columbine Carnage Feb 15, 2000
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Salon: Why the Columbine report is delayed Feb 14, 2000
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Salon: Columbine High School shut down Dec 17, 1999
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Salon: Goodbye, cruel world Dec 14, 1999
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Salon: Columbine killers thank gun providers on video Nov 12, 1999
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Salon: 'These guys wanted to become cult heroes' Nov 11, 1999
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Salon: Attendance down at Columbine after threats Oct 22, 1999
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Salon: Rutherford Institute sues Columbine officials Oct 7, 1999
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NPR's "On The Media" (audio commentary): Unraveling the myths of Columbine Sep 30, 1999
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Salon: Who said 'Yes?' Sep 30, 1999
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Salon: Inside the Columbine High investigation: Everything you know about Columbine is Wrong Sep 23, 1999
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Salon: Kill mankind. No one should survive Sep 23, 1999
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5280: The Principal (not online) Aug/Sep 1999
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Salon: How much mourning is enough? Aug 17, 1999
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Salon: Who owns the Columbine tragedy? Aug 16, 1999
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Denver Post: From Solace to 'Satan' (not online) May 30, 1999
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Salon: Let the litigation begin May 28, 1999
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Salon: I Smell the Presence of Satan May 15, 1999
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Salon: Gay leaders fear Littleton backlash Apr 27, 1999
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Salon: The rumor that won't go away Apr 24, 1999
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Salon: Outsiders, even among the outsiders Apr 22, 1999
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Salon: Massacre in suburban Denver Apr 21, 1999
See my Columbine page for more on the book, the massacre and school shootings.
Military / Gay
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Vanity Fair: "Betrayal": Transgender troops react to Trump's ban Aug 2, 2017
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Vanity Fair: The Orlando shooter may have been gay? The gay community isn't surprised Jun 15, 2016 Includes my experience with closeted soldiers, and as an infantry drill corporal myself at Fort Benning.
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Vanity Fair: To Be a Gay Cadet at West Point These Days Jun 3, 2015
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New Republic: Guantanamo Bay: The 9/11 Trial Has Gone Completely Off the Rails Apr 17, 2014
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New Republic: Guantanamo Bay: The Tragicomedy of the 9/11 Trial Apr 15, 2014
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Daily Beast: Michael Sam Is Not a 'Distraction' Feb 12, 2014 I compare Sam's closet to soldiers under Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
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Slate: The Air Force Academy's Show Trial July 9, 2003
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Salon: Sexual turbulence in Colorado Springs Apr 18, 2003
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Salon: Don't ask, Don't tell, Don't fall in love. I spent five months on this 2-part series, and it became the basis for my next book, on two gay soldiers.
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Salon: Conduct unbecoming Mar 10, 2000
Also see the sections on Matthew Shepard and Mary Cheney below.
Books / pop culture
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The Millions: My Year in Reading Dec 18, 2018.
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The Millions: My year in reading Dec 11, 2015
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Vanity Fair: My genius mentor: Lucia Berlin Sep 11, 2015
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New York Times Book Review: Review of The Bully Society by Jessie Klein Apr 27, 2012
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Washington Post: Review of No Right to Remain Silent: The Tragedy at Virginia Tech, by Lucinda Roy Mar 29, 2009
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New York Times: The Barbie way of knowledge Jun 15, 2002
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Salon: Forget Charlie Brown Jan 13, 2000
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Salon: Let's see if they'll play this Aug 24, 1999
Matthew Shepard's Murder trials
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Salon: Killer: Shepard didn't make advances Nov 6, 1999
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Salon: A dramatic moment of mercy Nov 5, 1999
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Salon: McKinney guilty in Shepard murder Nov 3, 1999
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Salon: Gay panic lite Nov 2, 1999
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Salon: Quiet bombshell in Matthew Shepard trial Nov 1, 1999
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Salon: Overruled Oct 28, 1999
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Salon: Gay panic Oct 26, 1999
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Salon: A question of why? Oct 25, 1999
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Salon: The reluctant activist Oct 15, 1999
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Salon: Put the victim on trial? Oct 11, 1999
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Salon: The trial that wasn't Apr 7, 1999
Mary Cheney
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Salon: John Kerry's lesbian moment Oct 14, 2004
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Salon: Nothing about Mary (Dave Cullen and Daryl Lindsey) Aug 3, 2000
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Salon: Mary Cheney to take a leading role in Dad's campaign Aug 2, 2000
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Salon: Gays blast Lynne Cheney's denial about her daughter (Dave Cullen and Daryl Lindsey) Aug 1, 2000
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Salon: All in the family July 29, 2000