YORK Civic Trust is going out to consultation on proposed changes to controversial wording on a ‘Rainbow Plaque’ it installed at a York church.

The trust was engulfed in a row in the summer over the plaque to Anne Lister at Holy Trinity Church in Goodramgate, because it referred to her as "gender nonconforming" rather than "lesbian".

The plaque commemorates Easter Sunday, 1834, when Anne received what she considered a blessing of her ‘marriage’ to the woman she regarded as her wife, Ann Walker. This was said to be a key moment in LGBT+ history, 180 years before same-sex marriage was legalised in England.

But the wording prompted strong criticism, with one person tweeting “please don’t ignore that Anne Lister was a lesbian” and an online petition against the wording gathered more than 2,000 signatures.

Now the trust has said that while the plaque, which was also created by The Churches Conservation Trust, York LGBT Forum and York LGBT History Month, was "universally welcomed in principle", the wording had proved controversial and a review was launched.

“Following meetings of the four partners, we now wish to put a suggested re-wording of the Anne Lister plaque to public consultation,” it said.

“The original wording on the plaque was: 'Anne Lister 1791-1840. Gender-nonconforming entrepreneur. Celebrated marital commitment, without legal recognition, to Ann Walker in this church Easter, 1834'.

“Our suggested alternative wording is: ‘Anne Lister 1791-1840 of Shibden Hall, Halifax, Lesbian and Diarist, Took sacrament here to seal her union with Ann Walker Easter 1834’.”

Views should be given in an online ‘Survey Monkey’ poll, closing on Sunday, November 25, by going to: https://yorkcivictrust.co.uk/consultation-on-the-wording-of-the-anne-lister-plaque/ The trust added that if it was decided to have a new plaque, this would be in place by spring with the existing one remaining there for now.