Activists condemn transgender bill passage in Lok Sabha, say haste in Rajya Sabha 'scary'

New Delhi: Activists on Wednesday termed the passage of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha a "black day" for the community, saying that the government is in a hurry to pass it in the Rajya Sabha as well.

Speaking to PTI, NCP-SP leader Anish Gawande, the country's first openly gay national spokesperson of a political party, said, "This is a black day for human rights in India. The bill was passed without any concrete response to several valid concerns raised by the opposition, which shows the government's unwillingness to listen to constructive criticism." He said there has been no meaningful engagement with the transgender community while drafting the legislation.

"How can you have a situation where Parliament discusses and passes a law meant for a community, which is protesting right outside Parliament against the same law?" he asked.

Questioning the government's claims, he said, "If it is protecting the transgender community from exploitation, then why are members of the transgender community opposing this bill?" Calling it a "hurried, short-sighted decision", Gawande said it could "criminalise thousands of the most vulnerable members of the population in the days and months to come." He added that the opposition would push for the bill to be sent to a standing committee and may explore legal options if it is passed.

"It is unprecedented in the history of parliamentary procedure in this country that after nearly every single opposition party has opposed this bill and said that it should be sent to a standing committee, the government has still refused to listen to these concerns," he told PTI.

Speaking about the next course of action, Gawande said, "The next step is to oppose the bill vociferously in the Rajya Sabha. We hope that better sense will prevail and that the government will recognise that this bill deserves to be sent to a standing committee." "It seems likely that the government is in a hurry and will pass it in the Rajya Sabha as well. In that case, we will write to the President to send the bill back to Parliament," he said.

Gawande added that if the bill becomes law, members of the transgender community may move the Supreme Court, saying it is "violative of the NALSA verdict", and seek to have it struck down as unconstitutional.

Grace Banu, a Dalit transgender activist, strongly opposed the bill.

"I do not accept this. I will fight against this. This bill is highly unacceptable. This is against my people, my community. This is against our legal rights and identity," Banu said.

"This is a black day for my community. They are forcefully imposing Hindutva ideology on us because of our identity. Today, it will go to the Rajya Sabha, so we have begun our advocacy with MPs in the Upper House. Let's see. We have hope, our fight will continue," Banu told PTI.

On meeting opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Banu said, "They strongly oppose this human rights violation. They shared solidarity with us." On the agenda if the bill is passed in the Rajya Sabha, Banu said, "We are going to fight it till our last breath because we have the responsibility to create a safe and secure environment for the future generation." Activist Akkai Padmashali expressed deep concern, saying, "I resist, I fight against, I do not accept this. This bill is highly unacceptable." Kabir Maan, a Delhi-based Dalit Transman, described the passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha as the "scariest thing" for the community.

"It feels like nobody is thinking while the government is just passing the bill anyhow. It's very heartbreaking," Maan told PTI.

He said the government is pushing the bill in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday without considering the concerns of the community even once.

"We all watched the entire parliamentary proceedings live. They hardly spoke about the transgender bill. It's clearly visible that this government doesn't want us," he alleged.