NEW DELHI: Several members of the queer community and their allies in Delhi staged a protest at Jantar Mantar on Thursday morning to raise their voices against the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026.
Both Houses of Parliament have passed the Bill, which seeks to introduce changes in the legal recognition of transgender persons and their right to self-identify, despite strong opposition from political parties and the LGBTQ community.
Holding placards and raising slogans, the protesters expressed concern that the Bill, which now awaits the President’s assent before becoming law, poses a serious threat to the rights of transgender persons as recognised under previous legal frameworks.
On Wednesday, Parliament passed the Bill to amend the existing law on the protection and rights of transgender persons, with the Rajya Sabha giving its approval. The legislation proposes excluding sexual orientations from the ambit of the statute. The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill on Tuesday.
The Bill, which seeks to amend the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, also provides for graded punishment based on the severity of harm inflicted on transgender individuals. Additionally, it aims to offer a more precise definition of the term “transgender” while excluding “different sexual orientations and self-perceived sexual identities” from the scope of the law.
However, since its introduction, the Bill has faced outright rejection from trans activists and members of the queer community. Apart from Thursday’s protest in the national capital, demonstrations have been reported in several other cities as well. The legislation has also drawn strong criticism from opposition parties.
One of the protesters at Jantar Mantar, who identified as a trans woman, spoke about the impact of the Bill on identity and dignity. Speaking to the TNIE, 21-year-old Ariana said, “After this Bill got passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, we have been wiped away from everywhere.” “If you want to erase us, it is better we get euthanized, but this is extremely insulting for our community as it completely snatches away our right to identify our own gender,” she added.
Another trans person, Mahi, from Delhi’s Tughlaqabad area, said that securing an identity certificate would become even more difficult under the proposed changes, as it would require going through multiple checks and procedures.
“This will make the process even more complicated and thereby make our lives even more difficult,” Mahi added.
Protesters said the Bill undermines the fundamental right to self-identification and creates additional bureaucratic hurdles, which could further marginalise an already vulnerable community.
‘Law change serious threat to rights’
Holding placards and raising slogans, the protesters expressed concern that the Bill, which now awaits the President’s assent before becoming law, poses a serious threat to the rights of transgender persons. On Wednesday, Parliament passed the Bill to amend the existing law on the protection and rights of transgenders.