Members of the LGBTQIA+ community protest against the proposed Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2026 at Dharna Chowk in Hyderabad on Sunday. | Photo credit: Siddhant Thakur
A protest was held at Hyderabad’s Dharna Chowk on Sunday against the proposed amendment to the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2026, with protesters demanding its immediate withdrawal. The participants raised slogans like “Our body – our rights” and called the bill inhumane and violating basic rights.
Addressing the gathering, advocate G. Kiran Raj said that gender identity is a deeply personal experience that cannot be decided by external authorities. He explained that transgender people often experience a mismatch between their assigned gender at birth and their lived identity from an early age. Transmen activist Surya Raj Yadav also expressed concern, saying that forcing individuals to submit to medical board checks to confirm their gender identity undermines their dignity, privacy and right to self-determination.
Published – 23 March 2026 02:35 IST
