The Union government’s Bill to remove transgender people’s right to a self-perceived gender identity and redefine a “transgender person” has been listed for consideration and passing in Lok Sabha on Tuesday (March 24, 2026).
The Bill introduced earlier this month to amend the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, proposes amendments in relation to identifying transgender individuals, the procedure for obtaining a transgender certificate, and compliance requirements for medical institutions that may perform gender-affirming care procedures.
Introduced by Social Justice Minister Virendra Kumar, the Bill was met with opposition and protests from across transgender communities throughout the country, many of whom have come together for protests, public meetings, and campaigns to write to public representatives over the last week. Community representative members of the government’s National Council for Transgender Persons have said the body was not consulted about the amendments.
Opposition MPs, activists oppose amendments to Transgender Persons Act
Last week, in a meeting called by officials of the Social Justice Ministry, the Minister was absent, citing a “personal emergency”, and officials of the Ministry told representatives of the NCTP that the government did not believe there was a need to consult anyone for these amendments, citing “non-genuine transgender persons” as one of the reasons for limiting the definition.
