Vicki L. Eaklor was a professor of history at Alfred University, where she taught American and U.S. politics, culture, and sexuality and was a percussion instructor. The author of Queer America: A People's GLBT History of the United States (The New Press) and editor of Steven Endean's posthumous book Bringing Lesbian and Gay Rights into the Mainstream, she had published numerous articles exploring the intersections of gender and politics in such areas as American music and U.S. popular film, including Gone With the Wind and The Kids Are All Right.