Born in New Delhi, Vaid went to Vassar College and Northeastern University Law School. She worked on Boston’s Gay Community News and in 1989 became executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. In 1990, Vaid made national news when she interrupted a speech by President George Bush and stood with a sign that said “Talk Is Cheap. AIDS Funding is Not.” Her 1996 book, Virtual Equality, criticized the gay and lesbian movement for going mainstream and abandoning its radical roots. Through jobs at the Ford and Arcus Foundations, Vaid has worked to make philanthropy responsive to the needs of LGBT communities. She and her longtime partner, comedian Kate Clinton, divide their time between New York City and Provincetown, Massachusetts.