Jeanne was one of twelve children born in Germany to Irish and Mexican parents, culturally conservative Catholic people. After moving to the US with her family, she attended Catholic High School, where she was involved in sports and the student body organization.

After graduating, she spent some time as a postulant (probationary candidate) in the Order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, fulfilling the desire she had from the age of seven to be a nun. Her exposure to poverty, homosexuality, drugs and the peace movement during her work in the convent led her to seek a career in social work.

After leaving the convent and getting her BA in social work in 1970, Cordova came out publicly and became involved in the gay rights movement. She was active in the Gay Liberation Front, Lesbian Feminists, Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), and the Crenshaw Women's Center and was one of the organizers of the first Gay Women's West Coast Conference.

Jeanne has been a gay and lesbian activist, publisher, author and journalist since 1970, founder and first editor of the Lesbian Tide. She is one of the founders of the American Gay Rights Movement on the West Coast of the US, and is currently a lesbian publisher and journalist. She lives in the Hollywood Hills and in Mexico.