Who gets to decide your gender? Why the new trans Bill is under fire
India’s proposed Transgender Persons Amendment Bill, 2026 has sparked a fierce backlash over its shift from self-identification to medical scrutiny. Activists and legal observers say the changes could narrow protections, complicate recognition and test the constitutional promise of dignity
“My name is Patruni Sastry. I am a non-binary person, married to a cis woman, and together we are raising a child. My life is not very different from many other families in India. I work, care for my loved ones and try to build a future that is safe and stable for my child. Yet, today I find myself asking a deeply unsettling question — why is the government so interested in what is inside my pants?”
With this post on social media, Hyderabad-based drag artist and activist Patruni Sastry has captured the alarm spreading through sections of India’s transgender and queer communities after the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 13.