Podcast Summary: After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

Episode Title: Who was the 'Man-Monster' Of New York?
Hosts: Maddy Pelling & Anthony Delaney
Date: September 8, 2025

Main Theme

In this episode, historians Maddy Pelling and Anthony Delaney delve into the riveting and complex story of Mary Jones, a free Black trans woman and sex worker in 1830s New York, dubbed the "Man-Monster" by sensationalist newspapers. Drawing on Anthony's new book Queer Georgians, the hosts explore how Mary navigated intersecting systems of racism, transphobia, and class prejudice, and how her life reflects both the long, obscured history of queer presence and the enduring challenge of erasure.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: 1830s New York (03:04–11:10)

• Mary's Trial: The episode opens with Anthony dramatizing the electric, hostile atmosphere of Mary Jones's trial in 1836, highlighting public scorn, fascination, and cruelty.

  • Memorable moment: The crowd's laughter as Mary's wig is snatched off, and her unshaken response:

    "Mary stands composed and dignified... she retrieves her good wig and places it once more atop her head. A crown."
    (Anthony Delaney, 05:12)

• Historical Context:

  • New York is a booming port city with 275,000 people, marked by immigration, poverty, and crime (09:10).
  • Though slavery is abolished, systemic racism and discrimination remain omnipresent, especially for Black New Yorkers.
  • The political environment is tumultuous—President Andrew Jackson's populism favors wealthy white men and drives Native American displacement.
  • Across Europe, rapid industrialization brings social unrest and new policing focused on poverty and "immorality," a concept often wielded against queer people.

2. Mary Jones: Identity, Survival, and Gender (11:36–19:09)

• Fluidity and Self-Definition:

  • Mary was born "Peter Suale," but used both names for different aspects of her life—Mary for her authentic self and social circles, Peter when circumstances necessitated.

    • "When she names herself Mary, I go with that. When she names herself Peter, I go with that. Both are necessary for her in different walks of life."
      (Anthony Delaney, 11:41)

  • Mary used other names such as Ms. Ophelia, Ms. Jane, and Eliza Smith, often as part of her sex work persona (13:04).

• Queer and Black Histories Intertwined:

  • Likely the first in her family born outside of slavery, Mary’s story is both a queer and Black American history (12:47).
  • Within Black communities, she lived openly as Mary; in white spaces, she sometimes reverted to Peter for safety (18:47).

3. The Sex Work Economy and Gender Concealment (17:09–29:01)

• Economic Realities:

  • Mary worked as a sex worker on Bleecker Street, making up to $50 a week—substantial at the time (17:09).
  • Trans sex workers were under-recorded; much of their history is lost, but Mary's case gives rare insight (17:46).

• Concealment:

  • Most of Mary’s clients were unaware she was not assigned female at birth. She ingeniously crafted a “beef girdle” to simulate female anatomy during sex, described in lurid Latin detail in contemporary newspapers (29:01).

    • "She has fashioned for herself a girdle of sorts made from beef... the men that she's engaging in sex within the alleys think that she has a vagina."
      (Anthony Delaney, 29:28)

  • The nickname "Beefsteak Pete" originated here, alongside media obsession with the “Man Monster” label (32:31).

4. The “Man-Monster”: Media, Public Frenzy, and the Print (19:29–23:34)

• Media Portrayal:

  • Newspapers sensationalize Mary’s gender identity, using terminology like “alias” to frame her as deceitful and criminal (23:18).
  • The infamous print shows Mary as a fashionable woman but is captioned “Man Monster,” exposing the public’s transfixed horror and curiosity.

    • "This is the least monstrous thing I have ever seen in my entire life."
      (Anthony Delaney, 22:06)

• Themes of Deception:

  • The idea of "passing" is depicted in both criminal and gendered terms, conflating identity with trickery.

5. The Crime and Arrest (23:34–29:01)

• The Incident:

  • Mary is accused of stealing money from Robert Haslam, a client, after sex; the theft is only reported because the replacement pocketbook contains a non-cash money order (25:32). Another “victim” is located in similar circumstances.
  • Mary is apprehended after police pose as potential clients.

• Discovery and Outrage:

  • On arrest, the "beef girdle" causes further outrage and ridicule, leading to more lurid press coverage.

6. Legal Process and Erasure (32:22–37:18)

• Court Records:
  • Surprisingly, most legal documents use “Mary Jones” as her name, showing a kind of official acknowledgment—much earlier than is commonly believed for trans identities in U.S. legal history.

    • "Throughout almost every document, bar one... she is referred to as either Mary Jones and Peter Suelley or just Mary Jones."
      (Anthony Delaney, 33:02)

  • However, a crucial archival find shows “alias Mary Jones” intentionally erased from an official court document—a literal manifestation of queer erasure from history.

    • "They are literally trying to erase Mary Jones from the historical record."
      (Anthony Delaney, 36:03)

7. The Trial: Spectacle, Shame, and Resilience (37:18–44:05)

• Public Humiliation:

  • The courtroom is packed, rife with mockery and cruelty; Mary’s identity is not technically on trial, but is the main spectacle (37:53).

    • "They undermine her by positioning her as a joke. So much so the official court recorder is recorded as having laughed until he cried when she appeared."
      (Anthony Delaney, 38:45)

• Intersectional Prejudice:

  • The response is about both transphobia and anti-Black racism, as well as class prejudice. Mary is denigrated and dehumanized at every turn.

• Mary’s Testimony & Community:

  • She frames presenting as a woman as influenced by fellow sex workers, possibly as a defense strategy, but also alludes to vibrant, supportive Black and female communities (41:40).

• Outcome:

  • Found guilty (evidence was strong), she is sentenced to Sing Sing Prison, a harsh correctional facility, but this is not the end of her story.

8. Survival and Recurrent Resistance (44:05–52:33)

• Continued Defiance:

  • Mary is repeatedly arrested over the next decade—sometimes for theft, but also, increasingly, for vagrancy or “parading in women’s clothing,” as shifting laws offer vague pretexts to police marginalized people.
  • She consistently returns to living, working, and dressing as a woman, regardless of repeated state and social violence.

• Archival Gems:

  • In 1844, Mary is discovered with a written vow from a male partner—a rare glimpse into queer relationship structures, echoing wedding vows in its language (46:15).

    • "I, Joseph Linus, do hereby certify that I have taken an oath... that I will be a friend to Peter soarily till death separates us... I also swear to tell him everything of the least moment that transpires concerning either of us.” (46:15)

  • Similar “vows” are found in other queer cases, suggesting a hidden, community-driven way of formalizing relationships.

• Persistence in Identity:

  • Despite evidence of punishment and rejection, the record shows Mary refusing to yield.

    • “She is determined to carve out a place for herself in a world that does not wish her to find that place.”
      (Anthony Delaney, 52:13)

  • Her presence in the historical record—despite attempts at erasure—is “a column of resistance and resilience.”

9. Reflection and Legacy (51:08–52:33)

• Mary is last recorded in 1846, still dressing and living as a woman.
• Anthony frames Mary’s ongoing resistance as history-making in its own right:

  • “Sometimes just keeping on, keeping on is how you make history. And Mary Jones is a really good example of that.”
    (Anthony Delaney, 52:23)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On shame and dignity:

  "Why ought she be embarrassed simply because they wished to shame her?... Mary stands composed and dignified... a crown."
  (Anthony Delaney, 05:12)

• On historical erasure:

  "They are literally trying to erase Mary Jones from the historical record."
  (Anthony Delaney, 36:03)

• On intersectional marginalization:

  "Nothing is as scary as a rabid populace chasing down a minority group who are already disenfranchised... it displays the cruelty of humanity bare faced."
  (Anthony Delaney, 08:07)

• On survival as resistance:

  “She is determined to carve out a place for herself in a world that does not wish her to find that place.”
  (Anthony Delaney, 52:13)

• On community and formalizing queer relationships:

  "These feel like wedding vows... a way of structuring your relationship, of giving it officiality in a way not available to queer people."
  (Maddy Pelling, 47:01–48:22)

Key Timestamps

• 03:04 – Anthony’s atmospheric narration of Mary’s trial
• 09:10 – Maddy’s social/political context of 1830s New York
• 11:36 – Introduction to Mary Jones’s life and identity
• 17:09 – Economic reality of sex work for Mary
• 19:29–23:34 – "Man Monster" nickname, media portrayal, impact of hoax/deception tropes
• 23:34–29:01 – The theft, arrest, and “beef girdle”
• 33:02–36:39 – Legal documentation and archival erasure
• 37:53 – The sensationalized trial and crowd mockery
• 41:40 – Mary’s testimony and hints at community
• 44:05–52:33 – Mary’s post-trial resilience, recurring arrests, and the legacy she leaves

Tone and Style

The conversation is both scholarly and accessible—witty, incisive, and deeply empathetic. Maddy and Anthony balance rigorous historical analysis with a sense of urgency and contemporary relevance, frequently drawing connections to ongoing social struggles faced by trans and marginalized people. They punctuate grim historical realities with moments of admiration and even humor, celebrating Mary’s resistance.

Conclusion

Mary Jones’s history is a story of resilience against state and social power, a rare light shining from the archives revealing a queer, Black life determined to persist in the face of systemic erasure and cruelty. This episode not only restores agency to Mary’s narrative but testifies to the importance of recovering and honoring marginalized voices in history.

For further reading: Anthony Delaney’s Queer Georgians (titled Queer Enlightenments in North America), available now in the UK and Ireland and from October 7, 2025, in North America.