New Bill wants to make us invisible: Kol trans community on Transgender Day of Visibility

Kolkata: As the world celebrated Transgender Day of Visibility (TDV) on Tuesday, the community in Kolkata voiced their concern about the proposed Transgender Amendment Bill 2026. March 31 is observed as TDV worldwide to celebrate accomplishments by transgender people while raising awareness about the discrimination they face. The community anticipates that this bill would push them to invisibility. However, they plan to protest for their rights.The proposed amendment removes the recognition of self-identified gender, which the community argues is a principle affirmed by the SC in the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) vs. Union of India. The bill introduces a screening committee that could enforce surgical gatekeeping and biomedical surveillance, which the community has strongly opposed.Members of the city's transgender community and their allies gathered in front of Ranu Chhaya Mancha to voice their protest and demand withdrawal of the bill. Activists argue the legislation, which mandates a medical board's approval for gender identity certification, fundamentally undermines the right to self-identification, upheld by the landmark NALSA judgment.Santosh Giri, a gender rights activist and transgender (TG) person, said the community is being forced back to the beginning of their struggle. "We will follow what was given to us before after so much hard work," Giri said.At present, a person can get a TG certificate by applying to the DM. This certificate allows them to change their gender in official documents in addition to giving them access to govt welfare schemes. The new bill requires applications to be scrutinised by a screening or medical committee before approval by the DM."We thought the BJP govt was sensitive to this community when it started Garima Greh, a shelter home for TGs. Now the amendment bill says a medical board will certify who is TG and who is not. One govt cannot have two opposite policies for the community," said Ranjita Sinha, a TG and founder director of Association of Transgender and Hijra in Bengal.A panel discussion was held on the amendment bill by Gokhale Road Bandhan on Tuesday. "Our protest is against the systemic erasure of trans and non-binary identities," said Souvik Ghosh, a gender rights activist.Anurag Maitreyi, an activist, called it an attempt to weaken their collective bargaining power and strength.Rights and mental health worker Debdutta Biswas said, "TG certificates gave us our identity according to the previous bill. According to the new definition, that identity doesn't exist. Who will decide that — the govt? Self-gender identity is my right." Lawyer and women's rights activist Bharati Mutsuddi called the amendment insensitive.
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