Pride Parade: LGBTQ+ Community Speaks Out Against Trans Bill 2019

Thousands took to the streets in Delhi & Bengaluru to celebrate the 12th Queer Pride Parade opposing the Trans Bill.

Delhi and Bengaluru march with pride to mark the 12th edition of Queer Pride Parade.

(Photo: Parthavee Singh)

Video Editor: Varun Sharma

A year after the Supreme Court decriminalised Section 377, Delhi and Bengaluru witnessed their 12th Queer Pride Parade on Sunday, 24 November.

Particular attention was paid to issues with the Transgender Persons Rights Bill (2019) and people came out wearing black for the cause.

The Bill has been heavily criticised for failing to take into account the opinions of transgender persons while formulating certain sections and for taking away the rights of trans persons when it came to self-identifying their gender and orientation.

Anirudh, human rights activist and social worker for the last five years, called the Bill draconian, as it ‘takes away several rights of trans persons that exist at present.’

‘Insulting and Humiliating’

“It violates constitutional principles and rights. It is a discriminatory Bill that uses separate sentences to define the sexual harassment of cis women and trans people. It makes no mention of non-binary people at all. It conflates intersex and trans identities. This Bill requires a district magistrate to certify a person’s gender. The very idea that a transgender person has to be certified is insulting and humiliating,” he said.

The Bill seeks to provide a mechanism for social, economic and educational empowerment of transgenders. It has been moved for consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha.

“If trans people are forced to stay with family, there’s a higher risk of violence.”

Shaunak Mahbubani, Artist

While people celebrated diverse gender identities and sexualities on the spectrum, many also expressed their the stance against the mounting injustices inflicted upon the community by multiple aspects of the society.