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Anaya Bangar opens up on Trans Persons Amendment Bill 2026: ‘I feel saddened, this isn’t just a policy change…’
Anaya Bangar who recently underwent gender-affirming surgery in Thailand, opposes the 2026 Trans Bill, warns removing self-identification undermines dignity
Just days after undergoing gender-affirming surgery in Thailand, cricketer-turned-content creator Anaya Bangar finds herself navigating a mix of personal triumph and public concern. While the 25-year-old is embracing a long-awaited milestone, developments back home have left her unsettled.
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, cleared by Rajya Sabha on March 25, has triggered debate over curbing the right to self-identify one’s gender and introducing a more medicalised process. “I feel saddened by the removal of self-identification. For many of us, this isn’t just a policy change... It touches our dignity and our right to exist as who we truly are,” says Anaya. She adds, “When that is questioned, it can feel like the community is being misunderstood or unfairly represented. Identity is deeply personal, and systems should support people rather than make them feel like they need to prove their existence to be accepted,”
She also points to the 2014 National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India (NALSA) judgement, as a turning point for the community, saying it recognised transgender persons as a third gender and affirmed the right to self-identification. “What concerns me the most is the possibility of moving backwards…The NALSA judgment was a recognition of our fundamental right to exist with dignity. For many of us, that judgment was the first time the system saw us, heard us, and gave us the space to live authentically without needing external validation. If identity becomes something that needs to be verified… it shifts from being a personal truth to something conditional and that can take away the very dignity the law once aimed to protect,” she says.
Even as the national debate unfolds, Anaya is navigating an intensely personal phase. “Personally, this past week has been both physically and emotionally intense. I’m still recovering and experiencing weakness, which is natural after a major surgery. But having my parents by my side and embracing me as their daughter has been one of the most meaningful moments of my life.” says the daughter of former cricketer Sanjay Bangar.
