In 1966, an 18-year-old Jeanne Córdova entered the Immaculate Heart of Mary convent in Santa Barbara to fulfill her aspirations of becoming a nun.  Over the next year, her experiences at the convent led to an increased social awareness and a new path of self-discovery.  Questioning her own sexuality as well as the role of the Catholic Church, Córdova left the convent and went on to earn degrees in social work at UCLA, all while getting involved in various activists movements.  By 1970, Córdova became President of the Los Angeles chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, a lesbian rights organization, and thus began her decades-long career as an outspoken and pioneering community organizer and activist in the LGBT movement.
 
From the 1970s through today, her many achievements include being a key organizer in the first National Lesbian Conference in 1973, the International Women's Year Conference in 1977, the National Lesbian Feminist Organization Conference in 1978, and the National Gay and Lesbian Caucus at the 1980 Democratic National Convention.  In addition to her activism, she's also a writer and publisher.  She was a Human Rights Editor and columnist for the Los Angeles Free Press; she contributed articles to numerous publications; and she wrote two books, including an autobiography, Kicking the Habit: A Lesbian Nun Story (1990.)  In particular, she founded and edited the lesbian newsmagazine, The Lesbian Tide (1971,) as well as the Community Yellow Pages (1981,) currently the nation's largest and most comprehensive GLBT directory.  Her most recent activities include writing a second memoir, When We Were Outlaws, and curating-with her partner, Lynn Ballen-ONE's upcoming exhibit, "GenderPlay in Lesbian Culture."
 
The Jeanne Córdova Papers and Photographs Collection is now available for research at ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives.  Her collection includes organizational records from several of her businesses, conferences and other organizations; her numerous writings, including published and unpublished works; diaries and correspondence; memorabilia, posters and other material.  Her collection also includes extensive photo albums that have been painstakingly digitized and annotated-documenting her life and major events in the history of the feminist and GLBT liberation movements.  The photo of Córdova shown above is one of these many photographs--taken in April 1971 at the West Coast Lesbian Conference in Los Angeles.