India’s proposed trans act amendment is horrifying
please take action, however you can
My friends,
I have been in pain and sick and between these periods, I have been very happy. I’ve been down with the flu for a few days, after getting back from a dear friend’s wedding. Following my last post about the universe affecting my life, I got sick right around the news of the proposed amendment to the Trans Act. A sickening blow to the trans community in India.
I’m asking you for help. This bill targets what the trans community is good at: taking care of each other. It criminalises that care, by attaching dire punishment—imprisonment—to possible acts of sheltering or helping a trans person fleeing abusive circumstances. It will make it harder for individuals or organisations to look out for trans people, and will encourage transphobic violence, whether by family or by strangers. Keep in mind that it’s already harder for trans people to find or keep jobs or housing, to therefore build up wealth and associated privileges or to have access to family networks and support.
It will make it impossible for almost anyone to get gender affirming care. Right now, the process is difficult and expensive; this will make it inaccessible. The consequence will be much worse mental health and higher risk of violence.
What’s more, the bill seeks to proclaim that we are not trans: not any of us who don’t feel at home in our bodies or the genders assigned to us, not any of us are non-binary.
This is infuriating and terrifying.
If you haven’t been following this, here are a few links:
this explains what’s wrong with the bill (you may have to be signed in with Google)
Queer Beat also explains this, weaving in trans people’s reactions.
My friend Mridula Chari (a journalist whose work you’re probably familiar with) reacts to the bill. Another brave, beautiful piece by them:
I would not have come out had I not had my hand held metaphorically by the dozens of trans people I followed online. When I found words for my identity, I began to look for myself everywhere. I devoured anything written by trans men, from PhD dissertations to memoirs. I spent hours looking up queer magazines for first-person essays. When I did come out, I realised that my straight, cis world did not contain the expansiveness and acceptance that I would find in my mid-30s, when I was embraced by my queer community, largely 20-somethings, in Mumbai.
These points of support would be criminalised if the Bill is enacted.
This news piece has other trans activists’s reactions.
A comprehensive explainer:
This bill is tabled for next week. Here’s what you can do immediately to help:
-This site lets you email your Lok Sabha member very easily. Once you click on ‘send email’ it will either open your email app or let you copy paste the details—all customised to you. Please do this now.
- While you’re at it, sign this one too.
- Donate to and otherwise support orgs and activists who are organising right now. Here’s a fundraiser for Dalit trans people. Solidarity Foundation is looking for donations.
- Follow orgs and people who are working on this, to learn more and to find out what else you can do to help. On Instagram, yesweexistindia, rejecttransbill2026 and queernilayam are a good start. Queernilayam’s linktree has WhatsApp group for organisers in different cities, if you want to join.
Let me end by saying I’m not an activist, or a legal expert. I am only somewhat trans, and very privileged, and terrified for my trans friends and my community. If you’re trans, hello friend, and I’m so sorry. If you’re not, stand with us. We need you.
[Edited to add resources]
Signed