March taken out to Lok Bhavan in protest against Bill on transgender persons

A large number of transgender, intersex, and gender diverse individuals took out a march to Lok Bhavan and burnt copies of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, here on Tuesday demanding withdrawal of the Bill.

The march from Martyrs’ Column at Palayam to Lok Bhavan was organised under the umbrella of the Queer-Trans-Intersex Rights Joint Action Committee Keralam to seek an apology from the Union government and the withdrawal of the Bill that was introduced in Parliament a few days ago.

The incensed protesters alleged that the Bill in the name of protection actually took away the right to gender self-determination that had been granted by the Supreme Court in 2014. The proposed amendment instead replaced it with medical scrutiny for recognising identity.

“Self-perceived identities have been removed from the definition of transgender in the Bill,” Prijith P.K., one of the protesters, said.

‘A regressive step’

The new definition was a violation of human and constitutional rights, argued the transgender community, calling it a regressive step that went against the 2014 National Legal Services Authority judgment and the existing 2019 Act.

They pointed out that transmen, transwomen, and gender queer had been removed from the definition and those with socio-cultural identities such as kinner, hijra, aravani, and jogta or eunuchs included.

However, while these identities existed in other parts of India, in Kerala this was not the case, they pointed out.

Recognising only some socio-cultural identities was a bid to impose the Union governement’s ideological views on everyone, Arjun Geetha, a transman, said. In any case, more socio-cultural identities existed in the country than mentioned in the Bill, he pointed out.

‘Without consultation’

They alleged that the Bill had been introduced without any community consultation. On a mere complaint, the penal clause of minimum 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of over ₹2 lakh could be used against members of the community or its organisations that come to the support of transgender persons at various stages, especially those who faced opposition from their families, they said. With the Bill excluding people with self-perceived identities, transgender identity cards already issued to them could also be taken away.

Prijith expressed apprehension that bureaucratic intervention could increase, especially if a medical board was certifying that an individual was transgender. Arjun also expressed privacy concern over the provision requiring furnishing the details of a person who had undergone surgery to the District Magistrate. There was a lot that was problematic with the Bill, he added.

Prijith said the protesters who marched to Lok Bhavan included individuals from the community who were members of the Bharatiya Janata Party. “We are trying to lobby MPs across parties to drum up support against the Bill. District-level protests will begin with one in Ernakulam on Wednesday and Kozhikode on Thursday.”