Transgender persons and other activists protested at the Lok Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday against the Union government’s amendment to the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2026. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A large number of transgender, intersex and gender diverse individuals marched to the Lok Bhavan and burnt copies of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026 here on Tuesday demanding the withdrawal of the Act.
The march from Martyr’s Pillar in Palayam to Lok Bhavan was organized under the auspices of the Queer-Trans-Intersex Rights Joint Action Committee Keralam to seek an apology from the Union government and withdrawal of the bill that was tabled in Parliament a few days ago.
Outraged protesters argued that the bill, in the name of protection, effectively took away the right to self-determination of gender, which was granted by the Supreme Court in 2014. The proposed amendment instead replaced it with a medical check for identity recognition.
“Self-perceived identities have been removed from the definition of transgender in the bill,” said Prijith PK, one of the protesters.
“Regressive Step”
The new definition was a violation of human and constitutional rights, the transgender community claimed, calling it a regressive step that went against the National Legal Services Authority’s 2014 judgment and the existing 2019 law.
They pointed out that transmen, transwomen and gender queer were removed from the definition and those with socio-cultural identities such as kinner, hijra, aravani and jogta or eunuch were included.
However, while these identities existed in other parts of India, they did not in Kerala, they pointed out.
Recognizing only some socio-cultural identities was an attempt to impose the Union government’s ideological views on everyone, transman Arjun Geetha said. In any case, there are more socio-cultural identities in the country than are mentioned in the bill, he pointed out.
“Without consultation”
They claimed that the bill was introduced without any consultation with the community. Based on a mere complaint, the penal clause of a minimum of 10 years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of over ₹2,000 could be used against members of the community or its organizations who come in support of transgender people at various stages, especially those who have faced opposition from their families, they said. Since the bill excludes self-identified people, transgender IDs already issued to them could also be revoked.
Prijith expressed concern that bureaucratic interference could increase, especially if a medical board confirms that an individual is transgender. Arjun also raised privacy concerns about the provision requiring details of the person who underwent surgery to be provided to the district magistrate. There were many problems with the bill, he added.
Prijith said that among the protesters who marched to the Lok Bhavan were individuals from the community who were members of the Bharatiya Janata Party. “We are trying to lobby MPs across parties to garner support against the bill. District-level protests will begin with one on Wednesday in Ernakulam and one in Kozhikode on Thursday.”
Published – 17 March 2026 21:49 IST
