Protest against Transgender Rights Act Amendment 2026

Madurai: Members of various outfits held a protest in Madurai on Monday against the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act Amendment 2026.Protesters from Transgender Resource Centre, Mani Memorial Foundation, Aniyam Foundation, DYFI and SFI, raised concerns about the new medicalised certification process mentioned in the amendment that replaced the previous right to self-identification with mandatory evaluations by doctors and magistrates. Advocates said requiring individuals to prove their identity through hormone tests or physical examinations was a "huge mental burden" and could "ruin someone's life" if there were bureaucratic errors.The group also said the amendment lacked clear protections for pre-operative individuals and failed to address the needs of "thirunambigal" (transgender men). They also questioned why the maximum penalty for sexual abuse against a transgender person was two years when similar crimes against women could carry life imprisonment.Priya Babu, managing director of the Transgender Resource Centre, said the proposed changes ignored decades of progress in regional terminology and self-identification. The group condemned the reintroduction of the term ‘aravani', saying that for more than 15 years the community in Tamil Nadu transitioned to the terms ‘thirunangai' and ‘Thirunambi'. "We strongly oppose bringing back ‘aravani' under the guise of cultural identity," Priya said.She also said that the transgender community was excluded from the legislative process and said even members of the National Transgender Council were not consulted before the amendment was drafted. Priya also called for penalties for parents who harassed or evicted transgender children, saying the current framework failed to hold families accountable for such abuse.