While flirting, she used to gauge the other party’s interest by mentioning books or plays that dealt with LGBTQ issues-like the writings of Juvenal, a Roman poet who had some pretty strong opinions about homosexuality.
Courting them wasn’t always easy, but Lister had her methods. Before she eventually settled down with heiress Ann Walker, Lister won the hearts of numerous other women. “I love and only love the fairer sex, and thus beloved by them in turn, my heart revolts from any love but theirs,” Lister wrote in her diary in 1820. Anne Lister used her love of books as a compatibility test. Here are 10 things you should know about Anne Lister.
Due in part to her rather masculine fashion sense, Lister was nicknamed “Gentleman Jack.” Which also happens to be the title of a new HBO series based on her life, starring the brilliant Suranne Jones ( Doctor Foster, Coronation Street). Often described as the “first modern lesbian,” Lister had a number of same-sex relationships, as chronicled in her gripping, 26-volume diary. But it’s her love life that she’s mainly remembered for today. Anne Lister was one of the 19th century's most intriguing characters: she was a businesswoman, a mountaineer, a world traveler, and a science enthusiast.
