Can we call Anne Lister a lesbian?

The introductions of scholarly works on queer desire between eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British women typically pose some version of the question "do they count as lesbians?" Historians and literary critics have responded with a variety of answers; while some embrace the term "lesbian" despite the anachronism, others hesitate, using words like "Sapphic" or longer phrases like "women who loved women" to characterize the object of study. Indeed, in the absence of a noun or a recognized social role for women who loved other women before the twentieth century, the ways such women conceptualized themselves necessarily diverge from modern lesbian identity. But although the hesitation to use modern terminology makes sense in the case of many women, I argue in this paper that Anne Lister (1791-1840) is an exception. From her own descriptions in her extensive diaries, it is clear that Lister's thoughts, feelings, and actions are largely consistent with modern lesbian identity-particularly given that "modern lesbian identity" is not a monolith. I support this contention by examining evidence from the journals themselves as well as by considering recent arguments that focus on the fluidity and capaciousness of terminology itself. Finally, I suggest that applying the word "lesbian" to Lister is a strategic way to communicate the extent of her relationships with women to a public that still sometimes refuses to admit that such relationships existed in the past.