Hello friends,

This episode* of the Radio Reversal podcast brings together two interviews recorded over the last couple of months digging into the targeting of trans people, especially trans kids, and moral panics about gender and transition here and abroad. The first interview is between Anna and Necho Brocchi, proud trans woman and Service Delivery Coordinator at Open Doors Youth Service, and together they discuss the Crisafulli Government’s ban on puberty blockers for trans youth here in so-called queensland, the Albanese Government’s spurious “review” into gender affirming care, moral panics, and the ways the fight for trans justice is intrinsically tied to other struggles for justice, including prison and police abolition, housing and educational justice, and justice for First Nations People, here and everywhere. In the second interview, Han speaks with Wiradjuri transgender and non-binary academic, Professor Sandy O’Sullivan, about the recent wave of attacks on trans people, including the UK Supreme Court decision and how it threatens the rights and safety of trans people, and they unpack the colonial and white supremacist logics at play in anti-trans movements and the enforcement of the gender binary.

This is part of our ongoing series on crisis, colonialism and collective futures - this time, we’re considering how the confected “crisis” about trans people, their access to gender affirming care, their ability to make decisions about themselves/their identities/their lives, the spaces they have access to, which bathroom they use, and on and on, uses the tools and techniques of moral panic to justify harmful, discriminatory, oppressive, and violent government actions and policies. This confected “crisis” deflects scrutiny from the actual crises facing trans people, like structural discrimination, violence, over-policing, difficulties accessing gender-affirming care or indeed any medical care, issues relating to housing, employment, education, and more.

As we see with other moral panics (e.g. around “youth crime” in so-called queensland), draconinan government actions are authorised by the discourse of “crisis”, and often, these actions are framed in terms of “safety”. Where we’re writing from, so-called queensland, the recent ban on puberty blocking medication for trans youth has been positioned as a matter of safety, as taking precautions, for the kids’ own protection. This is reprehensibly dishonest, given the overwhelming evidence that accessing gender affirming care (including puberty blockers) improves the safety and wellbeing of trans kids. But, for those who don’t know any better, this might seem like a common sense precaution. In other cases, it is cis people whose safety is foregrounded; the recent Supreme Court ruling in the UK (amongst other things) excludes trans people - particularly trans women - from accessing certain single sex segregated spaces, in the name of “protecting” cis women.

Also! This episode is coming out just in time to remind you that Saturday 19th July 2025 is Magandjin People’s Pride’s annual celebration of the queer community, in honour of the Stonewall riots. The event kicks off at 1pm at King George Squre for a rally and march, and then continues from 2pm at Jagera Hall, Musgrave Park. There will be markets, an art gallery, panel discussions, workshops, food and drinks, and live music and other performances. The event is all ages until 6pm, and then it’s 18+. It’s going to be a great day! Get your tickets here (free tickets available).

That’s your Saturday sorted; on Sunday, 20th July, kicking off at 1pm in King George Square is a rally organised by Justice for Palestine - Magandjin demanding sanctions on Israel, an end to Israeli occupation, apartheid, and genocide, and justice for Palestinians.

And, the following weekend, on Sunday 27th July, at 1pm in King George Square there will be a rally in protest of the Crisafulli Government and the dangerous escalation in policing and incarceration of, and attacks on the rights of, young people, homeless people, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Also, one last thing - we are in the process of leaving Substack. We’ll be publishing our newsletter via Ghost, instead. We’ll finish up our current series on Crisis, Disaster and Collective Futures here, but just wanted to let you know of the change. We’re hoping it’ll be a seamless transition, at least insofar as your podcasting app goes.

Yours in solidarity,

Nat for the Radio Reversal Collective

*If you’re seeing “Episode 20” and thinking - “wait, did I miss an episode? Where is Episode 19?” - firstly, I appreciate you, hardcore Radio Reversal fan! Secondly, no, you haven’t missed an episode, we messed up the numbering somewhere along the way.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit radioreversal.substack.com