Law must recognise dignity, not verify identity: Hyderabad’s LGBTQIA+ community opposes Transgender Amendment Bill

“Transgender people do not come into existence because of the law. They exist in our society. The question before us is, does the law recognise their dignity or will it subject their identity to verification?” said Aarathi Selvan, founder of Pause for Perspective and a clinical psychologist, setting the tone for a press conference organised by members of the LGBTQIA+ community and activists at the Press Club in Hyderabad on Tuesday, March 17.

The gathering brought together transgender persons, genderqueer individuals, healthcare professionals and activists, all of whom voiced strong opposition to the proposed Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026. Speakers argued that the amendments mark a shift away from the principle of self-identification recognised by the Supreme Court in the 2014 NALSA judgment and risk reversing the limited gains achieved under the 2019 Act.