Interview w/ Professor Sandy O’Sullivan

Host: Ez (he/him)

In this powerful conversation, we sit down with Professor Sandy O’Sullivan, a Wiradjuri scholar, community advocate, and transgender, non-binary academic, to explore the deep connections between gender, culture, and Indigenous ways of knowing. Together, we unpack how colonialism has shaped – and often distorted – understandings of gender and identity, and what it means to reclaim space for First Nations sovereignty and transgender histories.

This episode moves beyond surface-level conversations to ask: What does community really mean? How can Indigenous thinking guide more collective, caring, and accountable futures? And how do trans and First Nations communities build solidarity while resisting systems that continue to cause harm?

Grounded in lived experience, truth-telling, and cultural strength, this interview offers listeners a rare opportunity to reflect on gender, togetherness, community responsibility, and the power of Indigenous-led knowledge in shaping more just and inclusive worlds.

Content Warning: This episode discusses colonial violence, systemic discrimination, and lived experiences of marginalisation.

🔗 If you'd like to listen back to the unedited episode - with the music - head to our On Demand website. And don't forget to follow our socials at Facebook and Instagram.

Timestamps and Links:

• 00:00 - Acknowledgement of Country
• 00:20 - Welcome to Tranzmission
• 03:36 - Introducing Professor Sandy O’Sullivan
• 06:36 - Solidarity between First Nations and Trans People: Colonial Containers
• 13:20 - Colonisation: Truth Telling, Underserved, and Ledgers
• 19:20 - Historical Context and the Venus of Willendorf
• 28:00 - Creators, Curators, and Community
• 30:54 - Disproportionate Exceptions: Stories, Dignity, and Housing - Queer As...
• 38:13 - Support: Solidarity and Allyship
• 44:08 - The Memoir: Individual and Selective
• 46:00 - Trans Joy: Permission to be boring
• 48:05 - The Future: Death, Abundance, and "Fuck Hope" Chelsea Watego

Support Services

• QLife - 1800 189 527
• QC LGBT Mental Health Services
• Open Doors Youth Services Inc.

📸 ID: Artist Credit Wayde Clarke - Aboriginal Art | Equality LGBTQIA Inclusive Pride Flag

4ZZZ's community lives and creates on Turrbal, Yuggera, and Jagera land. Sovereignty was never ceded.

Produced and recorded by Ez at 4zzz in Fortitude Valley, Meanjin/Brisbane Australia on Turrabul and Jaggera Country and audio and cover image edited by Tobi for podcast distribution for Creative Broadcasters Limited.