The Goa Project hosting free virtual session on Trans Amendment Act 2026 - Sunday 31st May, 5:30 pm
This coming Sunday, 31st May, we will be discussing the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026, and its implications for trans rights, self-determination, and protections against discrimination in India.
The Act, which was rapidly passed by both houses of parliament and received presidential assent within less than two weeks, has drawn widespread criticism from lawyers, legal scholars, feminists, queer activists, and members of the transgender community. Critics argue that several provisions undermine the principle of self-identification recognised by the Supreme Court in the landmark NALSA judgment.
To understand the key provisions of the amendment and their social, legal, and human impact, we are chatting with two celebrated speakers, one a lawyer, the other a veteran activist. You can expect concise explanations backed by years of activism, deep study, and lived realities.
To sign up for the session, simply accept this invitation to add it to your calendar.
https://calendar.app.google/NwCVVvp9vvConYVc7
#Meet our presenters
Raghavi Shukla is an advocate practising before the Delhi courts, focusing on commercial litigation, technology, media and entertainment law, intellectual property, and white-collar crime. A graduate of the Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi, she is among the first transgender lawyers to practise before the Supreme Court of India. Alongside her commercial practice, she works extensively on queer rights, legal aid, DEI, and POSH compliance. She has received the Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar Mahila Samman, the Change Maker of the Year Award, and the Femina Achievers Award for her contributions to the transgender community.
Grace Banu is a trans and Dalit rights activist from Tamil Nadu, and the first transgender person to be admitted to an engineering college in the state of Tamil Nadu. Through years of negotiation with the government, she has provided exclusive housing units with rearing cattle and dairy farms to trans women, a landmark achievement which earned her the award of Best Trans Woman of Tamil Nadu. She serves as founder and director of Trans Rights Now Collective, which provides legal and policy-level awareness among judiciaries, academics, policy makers and civil society. She also founded the publishing house Thirunangai Press, aimed at motivating and promoting trans and queer writers to write and publish their books. In 2023, she participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program of the US Consulate and wrote and released a book which motivates other trans youth to emerge as intellectual individuals.
Friends, this recent amendment has had huge effects for trans rights in India. There's been lots of misinformation and fear mongering online, so please don't miss this opportunity to fully understand the implications of the act from experts. The event is completely free, no sign up or spam, just join the Google meet on Sunday. There will be a Q&A section to get all your doubts cleared too!
We have to keep the fight going but first we must understand what we're fighting against ✊🏾🏳️⚧️