A devout
Catholic, Córdova entered the
Immaculate Heart of Mary convent after high school in 1966, but left in 1968 as she began to discover her sexual identity and became dissatisfied with the Church. She completed her social work degree while becoming a community organizer/activist and later a journalist. 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 decade". The publication ranked "highest in the criteria of journalistic excellence". In the 1970s Córdova was a key organizer of conferences, among them the first West Coast Lesbian Conference at Hoopersville Community Church (1971) and the first National Lesbian Conference at the
University of California, Los Angeles (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 (1973–1976). Córdova was elected as a delegate to the first
National Women's Conference 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 (1978), In the 1980s, Córdova helped found the Gay and Lesbian Caucus of the
Democratic Party and served as one of thirty openly lesbian delegates to the 1980
Democratic National Convention in
New York City. 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 (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. 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. 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 ("Lammy") for best "Lesbian Memoir/Biography", ==Personal life==