In addition, she was a columnist for many publications, among them the L.A. Her work also appeared in numerous award-winning anthologies including Persistent Desire: a Femme-Butch Reader and Lesbian Nuns: Breaking the Silence. Her writing and journalism included the Lammy award-winning memoir When We Were Outlaws: A Memoir of Love & Revolution. In its inaugural year it included $2,000 to support the ongoing work of the recipient.Jeanne Córdova, author, activist & publisher, was a pioneer of the West Coast LGBTQ Movement. The NLGJA Jeanne Córdova Award was launched in 2018 and is envisioned to be awarded annually at least through 2026. She wrote that, ‘being an organizer and journalist in the lesbian, gay, feminist, and women of color communities − and loving it − has been the focal point, of my life.’ In creating this NLGJA award for lesbian and queer women journalists, she wanted to reach out across generations for others to do the same because we are stronger when we support each other to keep telling the important stories for and by our communities.” “Her work as a reporter, a columnist and as publisher of the Lesbian Tide was always connected to her activism. “Jeanne Córdova believed that good journalism was critical to supporting and transforming our movements,” said Lynn Harris B allen, Córdova’s spouse. She founded the Community Yellow Pages, a directory of gay- and lesbian-owned Southern California businesses, and co-founded an organization that sponsored lesbian art and history exhibits. She authored “When We Were Outlaws: a Memoir of Love and Revolution” and “Kicking the Habit: A Lesbian Nun Story.” She also organized a number of lesbian conferences and fought for lesbian and gay rights on a number of fronts.

She was a journalist and the editor and publisher of Lesbian Tide, which chronicled the 1970s lesbian feminist movement. Jeanne Córdova had many accomplishments and a commitment to the success of other queer women. The award is possible because of the vision and generosity of Jeanne Córdova, who died in 2016. The Jeanne Córdova Award recognizes the achievement of an LGBTQ woman for a current body of work in journalism and/or opinion, with an emphasis on but not exclusively coverage of issues of importance to the LGBTQ community, in any medium and on any platform.

Kicking the Habit by Jeanne Cordova