Members of the transgender community from across India gathered on Sansad Marg in the Capital on Sunday to protest against the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016.
The protesters said that the Bill will snatch away the constitutional rights of trans persons and demanded that the legislation be re-formulated through consultation with the community.
Winter session
The Bill is set to be tabled in the winter session of Parliament, which started on December 15.
The protesters said that most gender non-conforming persons are socially isolated and face immense violence even within their homes as well as discrimination and marginalisation in education and employment.
Transgender activists said that the problem they have with the Bill is that the very definition of a transgender person is problematic and so are clauses with regard to criminalisation of enticement to beg, screening committees to issue a certificate of identity, lenient punishment for violence against transpersons, and the clause on family and residence, as they feel it violates the constitutional right to freedom of residence.
