British Columbia·Video
Transgender people living in Metro Vancouver who are from India say they’re afraid to go back home, after the Indian parliament passed a bill that places restrictions on the trans community there.
Bill passed in India restricts definition of ‘transgender,’ strips ability to self-identify
CBC News · Posted: Mar 31, 2026 10:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago
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Nimrat Narula is a trans woman and drag performer in Vancouver. She says that her friends in India are terrified that they have to live in a society that marginalizes them — after a recent bill strips some protections for the Indian transgender community. (Katrianna Skulsky/CBC)
Transgender people living in Metro Vancouver who are from India say they’re afraid to go back home after Indian parliament passed a bill that places restrictions on the trans community there, adding to existing societal barriers.
The bill, which passed last week, strips people of the ability to self-identify as transgender, and places new restrictions on who can receive gender-affirming surgery, among other measures.
Many organizations around the world — including Sher Pride, a Metro Vancouver non-profit that helps 2SLGBTQ+ South Asian Canadians — have condemned the legislation as an attempt to criminalize trans people and gender expression.
The CBC’s Tanushi Bhatnagar spoke to trans people in Metro Vancouver who are from India, and they say the legislation adds to existing anti-trans sentiment in that country and will lead to further marginalization.
WATCH | Transgender people from India express fears:
She feels unsafe to go home after India passes anti-trans bill
A trans woman in B.C. who is from India says she doesn’t feel safe to return after her country passed a bill stripping some people’s rights to identify as trans. She’s one of a number of Indian people in B.C. worried their identities may not be accepted back home.
With files from Tanushi Bhatnagar
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