Jeanne Córdova (July 18, 1948 – January 10, 2016) was an American trailblazer of the lesbian and gay rights movement, founder of ''

The Lesbian Tide The ''Lesbian Tide'' (1971-1980) was a lesbian periodical published in the United States by the Los Angeles chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. It was the first lesbian periodical in the US to reach a national audience and the first US magazine t ...

'', and a founder of the West Coast

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

movement. Córdova was a second-wave feminist lesbian activist and proud butch. She was a prolific writer, journalist, and businesswoman, and a

Lambda Literary The Lambda Literary Foundation (also known as Lambda Literary) is an American LGBTQ literary organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, preserve their legaci ...

Publishing Triangle The Publishing Triangle, founded in 1988 by Robin Hardy, is an American association of gay men and lesbians in the publishing industry. They sponsor an annual National Lesbian and Gay Book Month, and have sponsored the annual Triangle Awards pro ...

and Goldie Award winning author for her 2011 memoir ''When We Were Outlaws: a Memoir of Love and Revolution''. In honor of her memory,

Lambda Literary Foundation The Lambda Literary Foundation (also known as Lambda Literary) is an American LGBTQ literary organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, preserve their legaci ...

created the "Jeanne Córdova Words Scholarship" in 2016, and the Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction in 2017.

Early years

Córdova was born in Bremerhaven, Germany in 1948, the second oldest of twelve children born to a Mexican father and Irish-American mother. She attended high school at

Bishop Amat High School Bishop Amat Memorial High School is a co-ed Catholic high school serving the San Gabriel Valley in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and was founded in 1957. The campus is located in La Puente, California, approximately east of d ...

La Puente, California La Puente (Spanish for "The Bridge") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city had a population of 39,816 at the 2010 census and is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles. History The original inhabitants of the ...

, east of Los Angeles and went on to

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...

and the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

(UCLA), where she graduated ''cum laude'' with a bachelor's degree in Social Welfare. She interned in the African-American and Latino communities of Watts & East Los Angeles and earned a master's degree in Social Work at UCLA in 1972.

Life and career

Córdova entered the Immaculate Heart of Mary convent after high school in 1966, but left in 1968 and completed her social work degree while becoming a community organizer/activist and later a journalist. She began her lesbian and gay rights career as

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

chapter President of the

Daughters of Bilitis The Daughters of Bilitis , also called the DOB or the Daughters, was the first lesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States. The organization, formed in San Francisco in 1955, was conceived as a social alternative to le ...

(DOB). During her DOB presidency she opened the first lesbian center in Los Angeles, in 1971. Under Córdova the DOB chapter newsletter evolved into ''The Lesbian Tide'' (1970–1980), with Córdova serving as editor and publisher of what became "the newspaper of record for the

lesbian feminist Lesbian feminism is a cultural movement and critical perspective that encourages women to focus their efforts, attentions, relationships, and activities towards their fellow women rather than men, and often advocates lesbianism as the logic ...

decade". The publication ranked "highest in the criteria of journalistic excellence". In the 1970s Córdova was a key organizer of four lesbian conferences, among them the first

West Coast Lesbian Conference West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

at Metropolitan Community Church (1971) and the first National Lesbian Conference at the

(1973). She also sat on the Board of the Los Angeles Gay Community Services Center and became the Human Rights Editor of the progressive weekly, the ''

Los Angeles Free Press The ''Los Angeles Free Press'', also called the "''Freep''", is often cited as the first, and certainly was the largest, of the underground newspapers of the 1960s. The ''Freep'' was founded in 1964 by Art Kunkin, who served as its publisher un ...

'' (1973–1976). Córdova was elected as a delegate to the first

National Women's Conference The National Women's Conference of 1977 was a four-day event during November 18–21, 1977, as organized by the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. The conference drew around, 2,000 delegates along with 15,000-20, ...

for International Women's Year in Houston (1977), where she was a moving force behind the passage of the lesbian affirmative action resolution. She was Southern California media director of the campaign to defeat the anti-gay ballot Proposition 6

Briggs Initiative California Proposition 6, informally known as the Briggs Initiative, was a ballot initiative put to a referendum on the California state ballot in the November 7, 1978 election. It was sponsored by John Briggs, a conservative state legislator ...

(1978), which sought to purge lesbian and gay teachers from California's public schools. She went on to be the founder of the National Lesbian Feminist Organization's first convention (1978), and president of the Stonewall Democratic Club (1979–1981). In the 1980s, Córdova helped found the Gay and Lesbian Caucus of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and served as one of thirty openly lesbian delegates to the 1980 Democratic National Convention in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. She was a founder of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Press Association (1983) and a founding board member of Los Angeles lesbian community center

Connexxus Women's Center/Centro de Mujeres Connexxus Women's Center/Centro de Mujeres was a non-profit community organization established in January 1985 in West Hollywood, California. The organization was co-founded by Adel Martinez and Lauren Jardine in 1984 as a women-run center in Lo ...

(1984–1988). She also worked as media director for STOP 64, the campaign to defeat the 1986 California Proposition 64 AIDS quarantine measure by

Lyndon LaRouche Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche Jr. (September 8, 1922 – February 12, 2019) was an American political activist who founded the LaRouche movement and its main organization the National Caucus of Labor Committees (NCLC). He was a prominent conspira ...

. During the 1980s and 1990s, Córdova founded and published the ''Community Yellow Pages'' (1981–1999), the first, and later the nation's largest, LGBT business directory; the ''New Age Telephone Book'' (1987–1992); and ''Square Peg Magazine'' (1992–94), covering queer culture and literature. In 1995, she was elected Board President of

ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at the University of Southern California Libraries is the oldest existing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) organization in the United States and one of the largest repositories of LGBT materials ...

, and co-founded the Lesbian Legacy Collection at the ONE Archives with Yolanda Retter. In 1999, Córdova sold the ''Community Yellow Pages'' and went to live for eight years in Todos Santos, BCS Mexico. She and her spouse, Lynn Harris Ballen, co-founded a non-profit organization for economic justice, The Palapa Society of Todos Santos, AC, and Córdova served as its first president until 2007. Returning to Los Angeles, Córdova and Ballen co-founded LEX – The Lesbian Exploratorium, which sponsored the art and history exhibit ''Genderplay in Lesbian Culture'' (2009) and created the Lesbian Legacy Wall at ONE Archives (2009). Córdova then organized and chaired the 2010 Butch Voices Los Angeles Conference. Her memoir ''When We Were Outlaws; A Memoir of Love & Revolution'' received the 2012

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted i ...

("Lammy") for best "Lesbian Memoir/Biography",

Golden Crown Literary Society The Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) is an American non-profit organization established in February 2004 as a literary and educational organization for the study, discussion, enjoyment, and enhancement of Lesbian literature. In 2020, in order ...

Award ("Goldie") for best "Short Story/Essay/Collections (Non-Erotica)".,

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

Stonewall Book Awards, 2013 - Honor, and

Judy Grahn Award The Judy Grahn Award is an annual literary award, presented by Publishing Triangle to honour works of non-fiction of relevance to the lesbian community. First presented in 1997, the award was named in memory of American poet and cultural theorist ...

for Lesbian Non-fiction, 2012

Writing and journalism

Books

*''When We Were Outlaws; A Memoir of Love & Revolution'' (2011) Spinsters Ink Books. *''Kicking the Habit: A Lesbian Nun Story'' (1990) Multiple Dimensions. *''Sexism: It's A Nasty Affair'' (1974
New Way Books

Anthologies

* "Anita Bryant's Anti-Gay Crusade" i
''The Right Side of History: 100 Years of LGBTQ Activism''
ed. Adrian Brooks, Cleis Press (2015) *"Marriage Throws A Monkey Wrench" i
''Untangling the Knot: Queer Voices on Marriage, Relationships & Identity''
, ed. Carter Sickels, Ooligan Press (2015) *"The New Politics of Butch" in ''Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme'', ed. Ivan Coyote & Zena Sharman, Arsenal Pulp Press (2011)- Lammy finalist. *"A Tale of Two Hangouts: Gay & Lesbian Civil Wars in the '70s" in ''Love, West Hollywood'', ed. Chris Freeman & James J. Berg, Alyson Books (2008) – Lammy finalist. *"Cheap Gold: a seduction" in ''Hot & Bothered 2'', ed. Karen Tulchinsky. Arsenal Pulp Press (1999) *"Camp Fires" in ''On My Honor, Lesbian Girl Scouts'', ed. Nancy Manahan. Madwoman Press (San Francisco) (1997) *"A Tale of Two Brothers" in ''Tomboys!:Tales of Dyke Derring-Do'', ed. Lynne Yamaguchi Fletcher. Alyson Publications (1995) *"The Mantra of Orgasm" in ''Sexy & Spiritual/Viva Arts Quarterly''- A journal of Latino(a) gay and lesbian writers. (1994) *"Conversation With A Gentleman Butch" in ''Dagger: On Butch Women'', ed. Lily Burana & Roxxie. Cleis Press (1994) *"Butches, Lies & Feminism." In ''Persistent Desire: A Femme Butch Reader'', ed. Joan Nestle. Alyson Publications. (1992) – Lammy Award winner. *"The Intimate is Transformational" in ''Common Lives/Lesbian Lives'', a lesbian quarterly. (1990) *"My Immaculate Heart" in ''Lesbian Nuns: Breaking the Silence'', ed. Nancy Manahan & Rosemary Curb. Naiad Press, reprinted by Warner Books. (1985) – Lammy Award winner. *"Trauma in the Heterosexual Zone" in ''The Lesbian Path''. Edited by Peg Cruikshank. Naiad Press. (1980) *"How To Come Out Without Being Thrown Out" and "What's A Dyke To Do?" in ''After You're Out'', ed. Karla Jay & Allen Young. Pyramid Books. (1975)

Columnist

*''American Herald'' newspaper, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, (2000–2002) *''ICON'' newspaper, San Francisco. (1995–1998) *''Los Angeles Village View'', 1995 *'' The Advocate'' (1974–1976) *''

'', Columnist and Human Rights Editor (1973–1976). *''

Lesbian Tide The ''Lesbian Tide'' (1971-1980) was a lesbian periodical published in the United States by the Los Angeles chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. It was the first lesbian periodical in the US to reach a national audience and the first US magazine t ...

'', News Editor, Editor in Chief, 1971–1980

News and feature stories

News and feature stories by Córdova been published in: ''The Guardian'', ''The Nation'', ''The Edge'', ''Frontiers in LA'', ''OUT!'' (New York City), ''the Washington Blade'' (D.C.), ''Orange County Blade'', ''Philadelphia Gay News'', ''The Bay Area Reporter'' (San Francisco), ''Seattle Gay News'', ''The Body Politic'' (Boston), ''The Lesbian News'' (L.A.), ''Ten Percent Magazine'' (San Francisco), ''The Los Angeles Free Press'', ''The Advocate'', ''The Los Angeles Village View'', ''ICON'', and ''The Lesbian Tide''.

Personal life

Córdova's life partner was Lynn Harris Ballen, a feminist radio journalist and the daughter of South African freedom fighter

Frederick John Harris Frederick John Harris (4 July 1937 – 1 April 1965) (known as John Harris) was a South African schoolteacher and anti-apartheid campaigner who turned to terrorism and was executed after a bomb attack on a railway station. He was Chairman of SANR ...

. They lived in the Hollywood Hills, California and Todos Santos, BCS Mexico, and created various media projects together - including ''Square Peg Magazine'' and history-themed lesbian feminist cultural events, exhibits, and literature.

Death

Jeanne Córdova, aged 67, died on January 10, 2016, from

metastatic Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...

brain cancer at her home in

, California. Prior to death, Córdova wrote ''A Letter About Dying, to My Lesbian Communities'', a farewell missive published in several lesbian-related publications in September 2015, in which she informed the community of her terminal illness; and donated a $2 million legacy gift to Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, creating the Jeanne R. Cordova Fund. Her obituary appeared in the Los Angeles Times and she was remembered on

Last Word ''Last Word'' is an obituary BBC radio series broadcast weekly on Radio 4. Each week the lives of several famous people who have recently died are summarised with narration, and interviews with people who knew them. The programme is normally pr ...

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

's weekly obituary programme in January 2016.

Awards and keynotes

* Selected as one of 200 women inscribed in the Place du Panthéon, Paris, 2019. Monumental Feminist Memorial, Les MonumentalEs collective. * Honoree, Fueling the Frontlines Awards 2018. Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice * Etheridge award – WeHo Dyke March, June 2015 * Honored in Wells Fargo LGBT history mural, West Hollywood (unveiled June 5, 2014) * Morris Kight Lifetime Achievement Award,

Christopher Street West Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει ...

(2009) * Velvetpark's Officia
Top 25 Significant Queer Women of 2010
* Speaker, Mexico City Book Fair/Feria del Libro del Zocalo de la Ciudad de Mexico (2006) * Cultural Hero Visibility Award, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives (2003) * Rainbow Key Award for lifetime community service, City of

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

(2002) * Recognition Award "for pioneering work on behalf of gay and lesbian rights". Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (1998) * Pioneer of the Movement award (for role in co-founding the gay civil rights movement on the West Coast in the 1970s.) Lesbian Gay and Bisexual Graduate Student Conference,

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

(1995) * Uncommon Women: selected as a notable woman, compiled by the Legacy Foundation NY. (1994) * Community Recognition Award, Southern California Women for Understanding for founding and publishing Community Yellow Pages, an LA community institution (1983) * Community Service Award,

Gay Academic Union The Gay Academic Union (GAU) was a group of LGBT academics who aimed at making the academia more amenable to the LGBT community in the United States. It was formed in April 1973, just four years after the Stonewall riots, held 4 yearly conferences ...

(1981) * First open lesbian to appear in

Who's Who in America Marquis Who's Who ( or ) is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in America'', ''Who's Who of American Wome ...

(1978–79) * Keynote addres
Butch Voices conference 2009
* Keynote addres
Stonewall Book Awards 2012

Archival sources

Detailed records of Córdova's activist accomplishments – including records of ''The Lesbian Tide'' – are preserved in the

at the

. The collection, including an extensive photo collection, is fully processed and available for use by researchers. The Online Archive of California (a project of th
California Digital Library
offers th
complete finding aid

Works about Jeanne Córdova

* ''Jeanne Cordova: Butches, Lies & Feminism'' (2017, USA). Documentary by Gregorio Davila.

References

External links

*
''This Lesbian World''
official blog of Jeanne Córdova *
''The Lesbian Tide''
(July/August 1979), vol. 9 (1). (via Houston LGBT History.org) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cordova, Jeanne 1948 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers American lesbian writers American memoirists American women journalists American women memoirists Former Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns Lesbian feminists Lesbian memoirists Women civil rights activists Activists from California Journalists from California LGBT people from California American LGBT rights activists American people of Irish descent American writers of Mexican descent People from Bremerhaven People from La Puente, California Deaths from brain cancer in the United States Lambda Literary Award winners UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs alumni