Karnataka gender minority and intersex community representatives demand welfare board, ordinance against Trans Act, 2026
Representatives from Karnataka's gender minority and intersex communities have requested the state government to form a welfare board. They also urged the state to oppose the central government's 2026 Trans Act, which they claim recriminalizes their community.
Why it matters
This reflects the growing tension between state-level advocacy and central legislative frameworks regarding LGBTQ+ rights in India.
A delegation of members from the gender minorities and intersex communities in Karnataka, under the banner of transgender and intersex rights organisation Ondede, met Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar requesting the formation of a gender minority welfare board.
“We demand that a separate ‘Gender Minority Welfare Board’ be formed for the gender minority community and that the members of the community be appointed as the chairperson and members of the board,” read the letter submitted by the delegation which was led by activist and Ondede founder Akkai Padmashali.
A welfare board for members of the gender and sex minorities has been a long-standing demand of the community members. The group pointed to the CM that the community has been struggling against social exclusion, exploitation, violence and social injustices.
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