‘No going back’: Trans persons rally against the Centre’s ‘identity’ check in new amendment

A new bill titled the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill 2026 was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday, March 13. The bill seeks to amend the 2019 Transgender Persons Act, with the Centre claiming it will make the definition more precise and legally clear so that benefits reach “genuine oppressed persons”.

Critics and the LGBTQ community have come out strongly against the bill, calling it regressive and a direct rollback of rights, warning that it undermines the 2014 NALSA judgment and threatens to erase legal recognition for many transgender people.

On March 16, a press conference was organised against the bill, while a parallel protest took place at Jantar Mantar. Newslaundry reached both spots to understand the matter further.

Highlighting the importance of self-identification, 26-year-old activist Raghavi said, “It’s not something that anyone will come out of anywhere and say I am trans. If I am transgender, I have missed out on a lot of opportunities. A trans person’s identity comes with its own sacrifices - you face violence in your family, violence in society, your access to healthcare, to employment - all that is hampered.” 

For now, the bill has only been tabled in the Lok Sabha and will go through the legislative process, but for many, the fight against the bill has already begun, with one clear message: they are “not going back.”

Watch.

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