Background
McCloskey was the first child of the late Robert McCloskey, a professor of government at Harvard University, and the former Helen Stueland, a poet.
She transitioned from male to female in 1995, at the age of 53, a fact recorded in the New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Crossing: A Memoir (1999, University of Chicago Press). McCloskey was married and fathered two children. She changed her name from Donald to "Dee" to Deirdre.