14th April 2018 marks the 4-year anniversary of the decision of the Indian Supreme Court in National Legal Services Authority vs. Union of India which recognized for the first time the right to self-identify one’s gender as an integral part of the right to life under the constitution.

The theme of the conference this year is trans-formation of the law, which we have already begun to witness in India.  The recent right to privacy decision of the Supreme Court in 2017 reaffirmed that gender identity is part of the right to privacy and autonomy.  These victories sit side by side with ongoing challenges the trans community faces, as it has begun to use the law for empowerment and in the process trans-forming it.

2017 witnessed active voices raised against the Transgender Rights Bill for having failed to articulate the rights and concerns of transgender and intersex persons. The trans community in India and the world over has been accessing the courts for recognition of their legal identity, rights to marriage and family and challenging criminalization.

Transgender rights have also been gaining recognition globally, with more jurisdictions passing gender identity recognition legislations and recognizing rights of the trans community. This conference seeks to learn lessons from such legal trans-formations for a better understanding of transgender equality in India.

This Conference is supported by Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice and Centre on Law and Social Transformation.