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Queer community, activists protest proposed Transgender Amendment Bill
Concerns were also raised about the bill’s alleged bias in criminal justice. Goilkar added, “The government claims trans people are criminals, yet crimes against us receive lighter punishments. This leaves us without protection.”
Terming the bill “regressive” and “harmful to gender minorities”, protesters argued that the bill undermines the landmark NALSA judgment, which had earlier recognised an individual’s right to self-identify their gender. (File Photo)
Around 200 members of the queer community and activists held a protest against the recently introduced Transgender Amendment Bill, presented in the Lok Sabha, at Sambhaji Udayan on JM Road in Pune on Sunday.
Terming the bill “regressive” and “harmful to gender minorities”, protesters argued that the bill undermines the landmark NALSA judgment, which had earlier recognised an individual’s right to self-identify their gender. The proposed amendment, however, mandates medical verification for gender-affirming procedures, a move many see as an infringement on bodily autonomy.
“Gender cannot be decided by the government or a medical report. My body, my choice,” said transgender activist Manasvi Goilkar. “Earlier, we had the right to self-identify, but now we are being forced to prove who we are. One’s identity should be their own choice—there is nothing to prove.”
Concerns were also raised about the bill’s alleged bias in criminal justice. Goilkar added, “The government claims trans people are criminals, yet crimes against us receive lighter punishments. This leaves us without protection.”
Pritee, founder of Rainbow Roots Foundation, criticised the lack of consultation with the queer community. “This decision has been taken without including us. Earlier, we were at least coming into visibility, but now it feels like an attempt to erase our existence,” she said.
Identifying as a non-binary cross-dresser, she urged the government to withdraw the bill, adding, “Our identities are natural, but this law restricts our right to exist.”
Smriti Girish, who works closely with trans men in Pune, highlighted how the bill narrows the definition of transgender identities. “It limits recognition, excludes socio-cultural identities, and forces individuals to face a medical board that decides who they are. This is not protection, it is control,” she said.
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Sahil, a cisgender ally and social justice worker, remarked, “This bill doesn’t just affect the queer community—it questions humanity itself. It discourages people from even supporting them.”
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