The Yorkshire town of Halifax now rivals the Greek island of Lesbos–the namesake for “lesbian” due to it being lesbian poet Sappho’s home–as a popular travel destination for sapphics, since the television series Gentleman Jack put it on our radar.
Gentleman Jack is based on “the first [documented] modern lesbian,” Anne Lister, who returns to Halifax in 1832 after some time travelling and climbing social ranks, to save her ancestral home of Shibden Hall. To do so she must marry wealthy, but she has no intention of conforming to societal expectations – especially not heterosexuality or femininity.
While the series focuses on Lister’s dealings in love and business, she is most famous for her heavily coded five-million-word diaries. The diaries, which began in 1806 on scraps of paper, were not entirely decrypted until long after her death. The entries were so graphically lesbian–including putting an “x” next to the women’s names she gave an orgasm to–that they were thought to be a hoax until their authenticity was confirmed.
Lister was not one for hiding in plain sight, despite her written codes. She was referred to as “Gentleman Jack” by the local haters, for being a gender non-conforming lesbian. But she was infamous. In 1882, 40 years after she died, the Leeds Times stated, “Miss Lister’s masculine singularities of character are still remembered.”
The Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York, is now celebrated as the birthplace of lesbian marriage in Britain because it is where Lister and Walker notionally married. Lister also left Walker with a “trust” when she died, canonizing their relationship as real – even in her death.
Lesbian representation in the media is still evolving; it’s not without its flaws. We continue to learn about lesbian figures from history, too, who are often hidden or completely erased. So it’s only natural that lesbians flock to walk the steps, on the ground, that Anne Lister once did.
Local businesses in the Halifax area have cashed in on the Gentleman Jack craze: there are Gentleman Jack journals (with a key to Lister’s code), Gentleman Jack cocktails, Gentleman Jack earrings, as well as other bits and pieces, like badges, and a whole thermometer (referring to a scene where Lister insists on taking a gigantic thermometer on holiday).
Halifax-based graphic designer, Danielle Palfreeman, makes the journals available for sale in Lister’s homeland. Clearly a fan of the series, Palfreeman speaks about the fans of Gentleman Jack, who refer to themselves as ‘Little Sisters’.
“Lister Sisters have become a global community, with residents of Halifax welcoming their American friends and taking them to tea,” she said. “Gentleman Jack shows the exhilaration, loneliness and mental turmoil women still face today – but it also gives us hope.”
There is even a bronze statue of Anne Lister at the Piece Hall in Halifax. It was unveiled in 2021 by Suranne Jones, the actor who played Lister in Gentleman Jack. The £25,000 installation, called Contemplation, was created by sculptor Diane Lawrenson.
Jones spoke about the importance of immortalizing the lesbian icon: “[Anne Lister] has to gender-shift, in a way, and is hiding in plain sight. She is constantly facing challenges every single day of how people look at her and view her. And now in 2021 she’s sat here in the middle of the Piece Hall, where everyone comes to have their family days out. I think that’s what’s important about this specific piece of art.”
Jones understood the responsibility of playing a real lesbian from history when lesbian media is often out of sight:
“To be able to be on the BBC at nine o’clock on a Sunday night, with this character in full glory, has been amazing, and also fans have welcomed me as a straight actor to play Anne Lister and I enjoy being an ally – I enjoy the responsibility.
“It’s one of the hardest roles I’ve had to play, because the language is really tough and I’m in almost every scene. I’m fiercely proud of what we’ve created here. It just speaks to visibility that there’s Shibden Hall [Lister’s family home in Halifax, which is open to the public] and now this beautiful statue, which is just glorious. I’m just very proud to be part of it.”
