Lesbian Pioneer Jeanne Cordova Dead at 67

Lesbian feminist activist Jeanne Cordova died at 4:30 a.m. on Monday, January 11 in her Los Angeles home. According to Frontiers, her spouse, Lynn Ballen and friend Jenny Pizer, Doreena Wong and Dina Evans from Arizona were with her when she passed.

"She was home with loved ones, and her close friend Dina Evans, who some people might remember here at Dina Bachelor Evans, was on the phone with her. She is a spiritual teacher and therapist and helped Jeanne during the dying process friend," said Jenny Pizer.

Last September, Cordova sent an open letter to the community telling them that she was dying of metastasized brain cancer in her cerebellum. She bequeathed $2M to the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, and sent her thanks to those who loved and moved her.

In the letter, Cordova wrote, "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. It has been a wild joyous ride. I feel more than adequately thanked by the many awards I have received from all the queer communities, and through all the descriptions and quotes in history books that have documented my role as an organizer, publisher, speaker, and author. Thanks to all of you who have given me a place in our history."

Cordova was a founder of the West Coast LGBTQ movement, and an Lammy Award-winning author of her memoir, "When We Were Outlaws: A Memoir of Love and Revolution." She organized four key lesbian conferences in the '70s, and was a delegate to the first National Women's Conference, helped fournd the Gay and Lesbian Caucus of the Democratic Party, and published the Community Yellow Pages in the '80s and '90s. More recently, she organized and chaired the West Coast Butch Voices Los Angeles 2010 Conference.

"Our community has lost a guard at the gate of hatred and I have lost my Best Butch Bud of over 40 years," wrote close friend Ivy Bottini on Facebook. "There will never be another Lesbian Activist like Jeanne. She was one of a kind. A true innovator. And a hell of a business woman. But right now I am grieving her lost presence, her laughter, her grit, and the love we both had for each other. Here's to you, Jeanne, you will always live in my heart."