Trans rights activists stage protest in Hyderabad against amendment bill, demand withdrawal

Hyderabad: Transgender rights activists staged a protest against the proposed Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill here and demanded withdrawal of the bill.They demand that all laws explicitly recognize transgender people and protect their dignity, identity and fundamental rights.Protesters are also demanding that medical boards be completely removed from the issue of transgender certificates and that policies that allegedly portray transgender people as criminals be scrapped.A protest was held at Dharna Chowk on Sunday against the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026 introduced in the Lok Sabha. Organizers said in a press release that participants raised slogans such as “Our bodies – our rights” and demanded their immediate retraction, calling it “completely inhumane.”Advocate G Kiran Raj said gender identity is not influenced by anyone else but is a deeply personal and natural feeling. He also strongly condemned the involvement of medical boards in issuing certificates to transgender people.Activist Surya Raj Yadav said forcing a person to go to a medical board to confirm their gender identity was a violation of their dignity, privacy and right to self-determination.“Gender identity must be based on self-identification and not on medical examination,” Yadav said. He further claimed that the 2026 amendment was completely inhumane. Members of the Queer Banhu Parents Association also attended the protest.The protesters further warned that they would lay siege to secretariats across the country if their rights were not given, the release added.