Overview
- Union Social Justice Minister Virendra Kumar introduced the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha on March 13.
- The text deletes the 2019 Act’s self-identification clause, routes recognition through medical boards and district magistrates, and requires hospitals to report details of gender-affirming surgeries.
- The Bill narrows who qualifies as transgender to select socio-cultural identities and specified biological variations, conflating intersex and transgender categories and potentially excluding trans men and non-binary people.
- New offences and harsher penalties target alleged coercion into a transgender identity, with legal experts warning that vague language could criminalise support networks and be misused by authorities.
- Transgender communities and rights groups have organised protests and press conferences across multiple cities, circulated petitions exceeding 13,000 signatures, and demanded full withdrawal, citing lack of consultation and privacy concerns.