Transgender individuals gather at Lodhi Garden, stitch pride flag for protest

Transgender and queer individuals gathered on Saturday to create a pride flag and protest against the new Transgender Rights Amendment bill.

New Delhi: A group of transgender and queer individuals gathered at Lodhi Garden on Saturday to stitch a transgender pride flag and make posters for a protest they planned on Sunday against the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment bill 2026 cleared by Parliament earlier this week.

Attendees said they gathered to prepare for protest against the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment bill 2026 cleared by Parliament. (Harshvardhan Bhaskar)

The bill seeks to change how transgender individuals are legally recognised and their right to self-identify.

Explaining their choice of location, a 32-year-old queer individual said, “We wanted to have an event in a space where other people could also walk up and ask what we are doing, and engage with us.”

They added that they had chosen to keep the event under the sun as a reminder that many transgender individuals work in similar conditions.

Throughout the gathering, participants stitched a transgender flag and painted posters to use at the upcoming protest against the bill at Jantar Mantar.

“This event is important because I don’t want my transgender friends to die. Transgender people have paved the way for the entire queer community, and this event is a way to give back to them,” said Harshvardhan, 25, an attendee.

Police presence was visible at the event, with around 15-20 personnel surrounding the group. “This is despite them knowing that we are not protesting today. Whenever our community does anything, the state gets scared,” alleged 25-year-old Rio, who goes by a single name.

They added that the event aimed to provide a space for the community. “The government passed the bill within 13 days of its introduction. The past two weeks have been very taxing for us. We wanted a space amidst all this where we can rest and exist peacefully. Additionally, whatever people create here will be displayed at an exhibition at a studio.”