A plaque dedicated to a 19th-century mountaineer and diarist who has been called the “first modern lesbian” has been criticised for describing her as “gender-nonconforming” rather than lesbian.

The blue plaque dedicated to Anne Lister was installed by York Civic Trust outside the Holy Trinity church in York last week. It marks the spot where she and her partner, Ann Walker, took communion together in 1834, after exchanging vows and rings, an event Lister viewed as their wedding.

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The plaque reads: “Gender-nonconforming entrepreneur. Celebrated marital commitment, without legal recognition, to Ann Walker in this church. Easter, 1834.” It is the first blue plaque in the UK to be bordered with rainbow colours in recognition of lesbian, gay and transgender history.

More than 2,000 people have signed an online petition criticising the decision to describe Lister as gender-nonconforming rather than lesbian.

Writing on Change.org, the petition’s creator, Julie Furlong, said of the unveiling of the plaque: “This is a wonderful moment, except that the plaque calls Anne (an iconic figure to lesbians throughout West Yorkshire particularly) ‘gender-nonconforming’.

“A gender-nonconforming woman can be many things because it only means that you do not conform to societal expectations. It has nothing to do with sexuality.

“Anne Lister was, most definitely, gender-nonconforming all her life. She was also however, a lesbian. That is why she took vows with her girlfriend in that church, because they were in love with each other and wanted to express that same-sex love – the very definition of lesbianism.

“Don’t let them erase this iconic woman from our history. Anne Lister was a lesbian.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The blue plaque in York. Photograph: Handout

York Civic Trust apologised for the fact that some people felt let down by the plaque’s wording and said it was open to updating it in the near future. “The wording was shaped by several open consultations held with York’s LGBT community between July 2017 and February 2018,” it said in a statement.

“It was intended to highlight Anne Lister and Ann Walker’s deep commitment to each other, to reflect Anne’s gender-nonconforming presentation, to raise the profile of queer history and to celebrate an LBGT icon.

“The phrase ‘gender-nonconforming’ was not intended to be read as a replacement for the word ‘lesbian’. However, we understand and accept that it has been read in this way. We recognise that this has hurt people, and we apologise.”

Lister, who died aged 49 in 1840, was a well-off Yorkshire landowner and traveller, who kept diaries throughout her life. The parts of her 27-volume journal that talk about her romantic relationships were written in a code derived from algebra and ancient Greek.

The code was deciphered in the 1980s and revealed a clear understanding and acceptance of her sexuality. Historian Helena Whitbread, who is writing a biography of Lister, said: “Her firm belief was that as God had endowed her with her sexual nature, it would be wrong to act against it.”

Next year the BBC will screen an eight-part TV drama about Lister’s life called Gentleman Jack – Lister’s nickname – written and directed by Sally Wainwright, who created Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax.