A series of wide-ranging recommendations has been proposed to strengthen the rights and protections of transgender and intersex persons in India. The proposals call for amendments to important laws such as the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, the Juvenile Justice Act and succession laws to officially recognise self-identified gender and safeguard the rights of transgender and intersex individuals.
The recommendations also seek equal inheritance, succession, housing and property rights for transgender and intersex persons without discrimination. Authorities have been urged to frame detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for police and correctional institutions regarding arrest, detention, searches, interrogation, imprisonment, confidentiality and access to gender-affirming healthcare for transgender persons.
To address discrimination and violence, the proposals include setting up dedicated legal aid cells, helplines and independent grievance-redressal mechanisms for transgender and gender-diverse individuals facing abuse or custodial violence. In the field of education, institutions have been advised to admit transgender students based on self-identified gender without demanding medical proof. The recommendations also call for gender-neutral facilities and grievance-redressal mechanisms in educational institutions.
Mandatory gender-sensitisation training has been recommended for teachers, counsellors, police personnel, prison staff, judicial officers and healthcare professionals to promote inclusivity and reduce discrimination.
The proposals further stress the need for standardised and ethical medical protocols for gender-affirming healthcare, regulation of Sex Reassignment Surgery costs and equal insurance coverage for transgender healthcare services. To protect intersex children, the recommendations seek a ban on coercive or non-consensual medical procedures except in life-saving situations, while also ensuring counselling and psychosocial support for parents.
The recommendations also encourage inclusive workplaces through gender-neutral facilities, inclusive HR policies, workplace grievance systems and mandatory diversity disclosures. Welfare measures for elderly transgender persons have also been proposed.
Additionally, the proposals aim to simplify documentation procedures and allow self-identification-based enrolment for elderly transgender persons in welfare schemes. They also call for transgender-inclusive old-age homes and community shelters that ensure privacy, healthcare access, social interaction and emotional well-being.
