This LGBT+ History Month, get ready to learn more about the entrepreneur, diarist and queerstory making legend
BY GEORGIA SWEET, IMAGE BY LOOKOUT POINT/HBO/JAY BROOKS
It’s LGBT+ History Month. How could we not discuss one of the most famous lesbians in British history!? This is, of course, Anne Lister. The 19th-century legend defied all societal constraints and lived her best life by doing so.
If you’re wanting to learn more about the queerstoric writer and entrepreneur, here are some interesting facts to start you off.
She was an avid writer
A lot of queerness is erased from history because we lose details of said historical figure’s lives to the passing of time. Fortunately for us, Anne left behind a detailed diary of her life. We have an estimated 5 million words, penned by her, telling us exactly who she was and how she lived from travel notes to her many sexual and romantic affairs with other women. Her diary entries were written in code. When talking of her passionate physical relationships, she would refer to orgasms as kisses or by putting a cross in the margin
She is known as “the first modern lesbian”
She was the 19th-century equivalent of a masc lesbian and was known in her village as “Gentleman Jack”.
She collected her ex-lovers’ pubic hair and kept them in lockets
It was said to be her favourite type of jewellery, the lockets themselves were heart-shaped.
Walking was one of her many hobbies
She was also a mountain climber, climbing Mount Perdu in the Pyrenees in 1830 and Mount Vignemale in France in 1938.
Anne managed the estate of Shibden Hall
She supervised building work, dealt with farming business and developed coal mining on her land. The building now has access to the public and runs as a museum sharing the stories of what happened there over the years.
She and her wife had the first known lesbian wedding in British history
Anne secretly married her lover Ann Walker at the Holy Trinity Church in York.
Her life was depicted in a BBC period drama
The show, titled Gentleman Jack, is a must-watch for anyone wanting to learn more about the lesbian icon.
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