Leading transgender community organisations in Manipur have condemned the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, labeling it as “regressive,” “exclusionary,” and a “direct attack on identity and dignity.” Various groups, including the All Manipur Nupi Maanbi Association (AMANA), Empowering Trans Ability (ETA), and the All Transmen Association, emphasized that the bill undermines the Supreme Court’s ruling on the right to self-identify one’s gender, established in the NALSA vs Union of India (2014) judgment. The organisations criticized the bill for imposing conditions that create a discriminatory framework for recognizing transgender individuals, effectively denying access to essential services and legal protections for many within the community.
The requirement for medical certification for gender recognition has been condemned as dehumanizing, treating transgender identity as a medical issue. The statement also stresses that the bill improperly transfers identity authority from individuals to the state, infringing on the right to self-determination. Additionally, the bill’s failure to include indigenous transgender identities from the Northeast—while recognizing others like Kinner, Hijra, and Aravani—has been described as a form of cultural erasure. The organisations argue that long-standing cultural understandings of gender diversity in regions like Manipur deserve equal acknowledgment.
The amendment is viewed as part of a broader political agenda to control and marginalize transgender identities, with these organisations affirming their commitment to fight for dignity, recognition, and rights, irrespective of state involvement.
