Chandigarh: Transgender Bill assault on identity, say protesters

The proposed amendments to the 2019 law take away the right to self-identification enshrined in the landmark NALSA judgment and violates privacy and bodily autonomy, says one of the protesters

Opposing the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their supporters staged a protest at Sector 17 plaza on Saturday. They termed the Bill an “assault” on the rights of transgender persons.

Members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their supporters holding a protest at the Sector-17 Plaza in Chandigarh on Saturday. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

The protesters said the Bill, listed for discussion in the Lok Sabha next week, must be opposed by the MPs. “The proposed amendments to the 2019 law take away the right to self-identification enshrined in the landmark NALSA judgment and violates privacy and bodily autonomy,” said Yashika, a Dalit transgender activist and a PhD scholar at Panjab University.

“The Bill only recognises traditional identities, like kinner and intersex persons. Instead of offering horizontal reservations, right to choose a family and access to safe housing and healthcare, the government is taking away whatever little rights we have,” they said.

The protesters also raised the issue of “erasure of transmasculine and gender diverse identities” from the law. “Transmasculine people don’t have cultural identities, like kinner persons. Does that mean they will cease to exist when this Bill is passed? The 2019 law was passed after decades of struggle and we will continue to fight for our right to equality and self-determination,” said Simran, founder of Queering in Chandigarh (QIC), a group of LGBTQIA+ community members.