NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) on Saturday conveyed its strong opposition to the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill 2026 and sought the withdrawal of the proposal.
The party said that the amendments proposed fundamentally negate the principle of self-determination of gender identity affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2014.
“The definition of transgender persons has been drastically narrowed. While the 2019 Act recognised transmen, transwomen, gender-queers and persons with diverse gender identities, the amended definition restricts recognition primarily to specific socio-cultural communities and persons with intersex variations,” a statement issued by the Polit Bureau of CPM read.
Highlighting the clause 2 and section 4 of the Bill, the Left party said that the definition of transgender persons has been drastically narrowed.
According to the statement, clause 2 omits recognition of self-perceived gender identities and substitutes it with a definition requiring certification by a medical board headed by a Chief Medical Officer.
And the party also states that section 4 further empowers the District Magistrate to scrutinise these certificates before issuing identity documents, subjecting transgender persons to invasive bureaucratic and medical oversight, which borders on vigilantism.
These provisions directly violate the fundamental rights to privacy, dignity, and personal autonomy guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, it added.
“While the 2019 Act recognised transmen, transwomen, gender-queers and persons with diverse gender identities, the amended definition restricts recognition primarily to specific socio-cultural communities and persons with intersex variations. The Statement of Objects and Reasons explicitly disavows any intention to protect persons with self-perceived gender identities. This deliberate exclusion erases trans men, non-binary persons, and gender-fluid individuals from the ambit of legal protection entirely,” the Polit Bureau’s statement also said.
The CPM also attacked the Centre, stating that the BJP government, guided by the Hindutva worldview, has long sought to impose a rigid, Brahmanical concept of gender and social order.
“This Bill reflects the regressive Manuvadi outlook, which denies individuals the right to define themselves. This regressive mindset also finds reflection in the stand of the Union government in the Supreme Court, where it affirmed that it is not inclined to lift the discriminatory ban on blood donations made by Trans persons,” it alleged.
"This Bill is an assault on the constitutional rights of transgender persons and must be withdrawn forthwith,” it also added.