CHENNAI: Communist Party of India (Marxist) along with members of transgender community staged a protest near the Chennai Collectorate on Monday against the proposed Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, stating that it strips away basic rights, particularly the fundamental right to self-identification of gender.
‘Kalaimamani’ Sudha (50), a transgender woman from the organisation Sahodaran, said that the apex court’s verdict in the National Legal Services Authority vs Union of India clearly recognised gender identity as self-perceived and affirmed that medical procedures cannot be a precondition for legal recognition.
However, the proposed new Bill contradicts this ruling by mandating a medical examination to obtain a transgender identity certificate. It also requires hospitals performing gender-affirming surgeries to report details to state authorities, which according to her went against the Supreme Court judgment.
G Selva, Central Chennai district secretary of the CPM said that the proposed Bill not only violates the Supreme Court’s verdict but infringes upon right to life and personal liberty guaranteed by the Constitution. .
Sudha further said the proposed Bill mandates the use of the term “Aravani” again, which the community strongly opposes and has discarded.
The Bill introduces certain penal provisions with punishment extending up to 10 years of imprisonment, which would create fear among the community to help others who are often abandoned by their families and are in need of support, she said.