The grief over attacks on the rights of trans and gender-diverse people is growing across the world as is the collective resistance.
Anti-trans extremism is being weaponised by authoritarian governments everywhere. The global assault on rights is led by the U.S. where 122 state bills restricting trans people's rights were passed last year. Conservative governments elsewhere are also aping this trend, bringing in anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation.
Mainstream extremists targeting trans and gender-diverse people are normalising the stripping of the rights of vulnerable citizens. Erosion of citizen rights is becoming a widespread pattern, aimed at making authoritarian extraction and exploitation easier.
There has been a sharp escalation of attacks by conservative governments globally.
India:
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment, 2026 got presidential approval to become a law (2026). The amendment removes the right to self-identify one’s gender and requires state-approved medical verification for legal recognition. It also creates the possibility for the criminalisation of people who support or affirm trans identities, putting families, doctors, and allies at legal risk.
United States
122 state bills restricting trans people's rights were passed (2025)
European Union & United Kingdom:
- Portugal: three anti-LGBTQIA+ bills in March ’26
- Germany: had finally adopted self-determination in 2024, but last year the far right moved to repeal it
- Hungary: tightened its anti LGBTQIA+ legislation (2025)
- The UK Supreme Court ruled sex as strictly biological (2025)
South Asia:
- Indonesia: A new criminal code criminalises sex outside heterosexual marriage, disproportionately impacting trans and gender-diverse people without legal recognition (2022).
- Malaysia: A trans woman was legally persecuted (2026) for undergoing gender affirming surgery, the first case of its kind since the criminal law was enacted in 2020.
- Sri Lanka: Political pressure is building to restrict trans people’s access to Gender Recognition Certificates (2023–2024).
- Pakistan: A court ruling in 2023, struck down the right to self-identified gender, rolling back key protections under the 2018 law.
Other regions:
- Georgia (2024): Parliament passed anti‑LGBTQIA+ legislation that prohibits gender‑affirming procedures and removing gender markers on ID documents.
- Kazakhstan (2025): A new law restricting “LGBTQIA+ expression and information” came into force on 1 Jan 2026.
- El Salvador (ongoing): Gender‑affirming care is banned under existing law, prohibiting healthcare needed for transgender transition.
In India, as queer, anti-caste, disability rights activists, and their allies protest, doctors, lawyers, and mental health practitioners among them are engaged in public consultations, solidarity statements, and pro-bono work. Several politicians have also spoken out against the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment, 2026
For trans and gender-diverse people, these attacks take a heavy toll on the mind and body. This is a long fight, and we need to use our energy wisely—resistance and rest are equally vital. ~ @avalidoesnthashtaganymore
#TransdayofVisibility #againsttransbill #RejectTransBill2026 #IndiaTransRights
