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

“Transsexual people do not come out because of the law. They exist in our society. The question before us is, does the law recognize their dignity or subject them to verification of their identity,” said Aarathi Selvan, clinical psychologist and founder of Pause for Perspective, while setting the tone for a press conference held by members of the LGBTQIA+ community and activists at the Press Club here on Tuesday. he asked.

The meeting brought together transgender people, gender queer people, healthcare professionals and activists, all of whom strongly opposed the proposed Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026. Speakers argued that the amendments marked a departure from the principle of self-identification recognized by the Supreme Court in the 2014 NALSA judgment and risked reversing the limited gains made under the 2019 Act.