The post went out just hours after Parliament passed the bill. “I can’t be strong all the time,” it said. “It took me years to become the person I am today… And now it feels like everything is being taken away, my rights, my dignity, my privacy.” It was a call for help on social media. Fortunately, the person was located and counselled. Crisis defused — for now.

The anxiety is not isolated. Over 300 mental health professionals have signed up to provide discounted counselling sessions for transgender people in distress and isolation, Raj Mariwala, director of the Mariwala Health Initiative, said. “By invalidating lived realities and self-identification, the bill is causing anxiety and leading to suicidal ideation”, Mariwala said. “People are worried about the knock-on effects: ‘Am I going to be safe walking down the street’? These are very real questions.”

The amendment to the Transgender Persons........

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