Consultation on the wording of the Anne Lister plaque

27 thoughts on “Consultation on the wording of the Anne Lister plaque”

1. Lesbian and diarist is perfect, it’s who she was.

   1. Anne Lister
      1791-1840
      of Shibden Hall, Halifax
      Lesbian Entrepreneur and Diarist
      Her union with Ann Walker was blessed here
      Easter 1834

2. What a colossal waste of everyone’s time, and taxpayers money. Leave it as it is, there are bigger problems to worry about in York.

   1. There is no tax-payers’ money involved. York Civic Trust is an independent charity and receives no money from public sources.

3. I think the change from ‘gender nonconfirming’ to ‘lesbian’ is a very good one. While the concept of someone being ‘gender nonconfirming’ is a nebulous one, the definition of lesbian as a woman who only loves other women is clear. It is clear that Lister satisfies it, writing in her diary “I love and only love the fairer sex” (January 1821). However, I do not support the removing of the word entrepreneur from the description. I think it is important to commemorate her activities as a businesswoman as a part of her life. Perhaps ‘Lesbian entrepreneur and diarist’?

4. Celebrate Anne’s true life and actions. Resist lesbian erasure.

   Anne Lister
   1791-1840
   Lesbian, entrepreneur, and diarist.
   Took sacrament here, without legal recognition
   to seal her union with
   Ann Walker Easter, 1834

5. I agree with the suggested alternative plaque wording. Let the two women be celebrated.

6. Leave it as it us but is this funded by tax payers money, if so i disagree with it being oaid for by taxpayers

   1. There is no tax-payers’ money involved. York Civic Trust is an independent charity and received no money from public sources.

   2. There is no tax-payers’ money involved. York Civic Trust is an independent charity and receives no money from public sources.

7. The older wording is more gracious but I prefer the new wording because it is clearer and reflects Anne Listers view of herself. It is also more relevant to the 21st century

8. Leave the original one ..seems right to me

9. Leave the original one

10. Leave as it is ..too much fuss is about really doing it …do not like wording of the new suggestion

11. A facinating woman of her times the mention of Shibden Hall should be on the plaque ,the hall is worth a visit also

12. Leave it as it is, no need to spend more money replacing it. I had never heard of her until all this fuss about about the plaque was mentioned.

13. I prefer the alternative wording. I feel that the original wording obscures Lister.

14. Why can’t they just put Anne married Ann. Without describing their gender !!

15. The alternative wording is a vast improvement reflecting the facts and not leading to confusion (consider, for example, a tourist with no prior knowledge of Ann Lister – they might, understandably, mistakenly think that she was a man who dressed as a woman from the ‘gender non-conforming’ description). Well done on the proposed change.

16. Was she a lesbian? yes. So stick it on the plaque.

17. This wording would be perfect :

    Anne Lister
    1791-1840
    Lesbian, entrepreneur, and diarist.
    Took sacrament here, without legal recognition
    to seal her union with
    Ann Walker Easter, 1834

    1. I concur. But make sure there’s a comma after “recognition”…

18. The proposed alternative wording is perfect. It’s essential to the memory of Anne Lister that she is proudly & clearly identified as lesbian.

19. Anne Lister was a woman and a lesbian. The new wording acknowledges this, as it should do, and this is what should be adopted. Glad you’ve rethought this.

20. I agree with the new wording– our recognition that gender is a construct is important for our time, but for Anne Lister, it was important to recognize her love and union with Ann Walker. And since she was a diarist, her own words would add the historical dimension: “I love and only love the fairer sex” (January 1821).

21. The epithet ‘entrepreneur’ is important: her role as a businesswoman was as important to her (and inspiring to contemporary women) as her passion for women.
    The line “Took sacrament here to seal her union with Ann Walker” is a massive improvement on the awful contortions of “Celebrated marital commitment, without legal recognition, to Ann Walker in this church”: apart from being mealy-mouthed, it’s a downer to have a negative (what the union *wasn’t*) in a plaque that’s meant to be celebratory.
    Subbing point: avoid the capital ‘D’ on diarist (it’s a description not a job title).

    Anne Lister
    1791-1840
    of Shibden Hall, Halifax
    Lesbian, entrepreneur and diarist
    Took sacrament here to seal her union
    with Ann Walker
    Easter 1834

22. Resist lesbian erasure.

    Anne Lister
    1791-1840
    of Shibden Hall, Halifax
    Lesbian and Diarist
    Took sacrament here to seal her union
    with Ann Walker
    Easter 1834

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