Transgender Collectives Challenge Discriminatory Amendment Bill

Transgender and queer collectives vocally opposed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, terming it discriminatory and calling for its immediate withdrawal. The bill, intended to amend the original 2019 Act, was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar.

Community representatives criticized the bill for restrictive redefinitions that collapse various distinct identities, such as intersex and transgender persons, into a single category. They asserted that this undermines the 2014 Supreme Court NALSA judgment, which recognized transgender as an umbrella term.

The bill also introduces problematic language, alleging coercion into transgender identities, and enforces a medical scrutiny process violating privacy rights recognized in the Puttaswamy judgment. These measures, coupled with harsher penalties for supposed offenses, could exacerbate stigma and criminalize the community, they argued.