A march was held in Thrissur on Saturday against a proposed amendment to the transgender bill introduced in the Lok Sabha, with transgender and queer rights groups saying the changes would undermine rights to self-identification and target community support structures.
The protest was organized by a joint action committee of transgender and queer human rights organizations. On 13 March 2026, the Center introduced the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2019, which takes away transgender people’s “right to a self-perceived gender identity” and changes the definition of “transgender person”.
The protesters argued that the amendment, introduced in the Lok Sabha, would abrogate transgender people’s right to self-identity and introduce provisions that could adversely affect community organizations and human rights platforms that support transgender people.
Although the amendment is being presented as a measure to strengthen the existing Transgender Act of 2019, protesters said it would actually deny rights and protections to most transgender people. The march started in front of the AG office near North Bus Stand and passed by Swaraj Round and Corporation office and ended in front of BSNL office. Protesters later burned a copy of the law as a symbolic protest.
Published – 21 March 2026 20:44 IST
