India’s transgender law change leaves many uncertain
- Doctors face potential liability and lack clear protocols, while the online portal issuing transgender identity cards has shut down.
- Activists have challenged the law in the Supreme Court, arguing that mandatory medical verification violates constitutional rights to self-identification.
Recent amendments to India’s transgender legislation have caused widespread disruptions in gender-affirming healthcare, leaving patients across the country without access to prescribed medications or safe medical supervision.
The amendment introduced strict penalties for forcing individuals to assume a transgender identity through surgical, chemical, or hormonal procedures.
While government authorities stated the changes aim to protect vulnerable groups from exploitation, forced identity, and trafficking, the lack of implementation guidelines has created severe uncertainty among healthcare providers.
In Hyderabad, 23-year-old communications specialist and transgender activist Kali Sidharth Medepalli was forced to go 10 days without a prescribed testosterone blocker after her clinic abruptly halted treatment following the law’s passage.
“Everything shut down,” Kali told AFP, describing how she experienced hot flushes and body aches before obtaining her medicine with an existing prescription to self-medicate. “Ideally, you should have a doctor doing this for you… I don’t know the future. I can’t plan it anymore.”
Doctors face legal risks
The regulatory ambiguity has placed medical professionals in a dilemma between potential legal liability and their professional duties.
“How can I refuse care? I took an oath that above all do no harm,” said Sanjay Sharma, head of the Association for Transgender Health in India and a retired air force commodore.
Sharma noted that while some private clinics continue to offer care, they are requiring extra paperwork, consent forms, and higher fees to protect themselves legally. This has created severe barriers for individuals without financial resources or strong support networks.
Identity certification stalled
The amendment has also disrupted the official process for updating legal identity documents. Applicants must now go through a designated medical board recommendation before a magistrate can issue a transgender identity certificate, but the government’s dedicated online portal has stopped functioning since the law took effect.
Bhukya Ahalya, 21, who transitioned in 2025 and survives by begging at traffic signals, explained that she cannot secure regular employment without an updated identity card matching her gender identity.
“Everyone wants me to move on from this life,” Ahalya told AFP. “But when I want to move on, when I want to earn a respectful life, I don’t get a TG (transgender) card.”
The amendment is currently being challenged in the Supreme Court, with petitioners citing constitutional protections covering dignity, personal autonomy, privacy, and the right to self-identification.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment did not respond to requests from AFP for clarification regarding the rules or the status of the identity card portal.
