India Bill Narrows Transgender Definition, Sparks Protests

Opposition from lawmakers, activists, and transgender communities across India has intensified against a government bill that seeks to amend the Transgender Persons Protection of Rights Act, 2019, by narrowing the definition of transgender identity and eliminating the right to self-perceived gender recognition. Introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 13 by Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar, the Transgender Persons Protection of Rights Amendment Bill, 2026, has sparked protests in multiple cities and calls for its immediate withdrawal or referral to a parliamentary standing committee.

The original 2019 Act, building on the Supreme Court's 2014 National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) judgment, broadly defined transgender persons to include those whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth, encompassing trans men, trans women, intersex individuals, genderqueer people, and sociocultural groups such as hijras and kinners. It affirmed the right to self-identification under Section 4, allowing individuals to obtain a certificate of identity from district authorities without medical intervention.

The amendment bill proposes significant...