Legal Empowerment

In November 2024, CJLS presented on the provisions of The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 & Rules, 2020 in a One Day Awareness Program on provisions of The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and Rules, 2020 for NGO and CBO functionaries working towards Welfare of Transgender Community. The Program was organised by the National Institute of Social Defence, Misnistry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. India, in collaboration with Alliance India.

In Fall 2024, the Clinic hosted an Instagram Live Series on “The New Law: A Conversation on Your Rights and Remedies”. These sessions highlighted how the “Handbook on the Rights of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Persons” can function as a vital tool for legal capacity building and facilitating access to justice for the community.

In March 2024, the Clinic organised a one-day workshop in collaboration with International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) Asia and Transmen Collective on the Know Your Rights Manual on Trans and Queer Couples’ Right to Cohabitation.

The Clinic conducted a public session in Hindi for lawyers from Ahmedabad at the Center for Social Justice. The session focused on the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, and involved discussions on the Act's provisions and rules, as well as how lawyers can utilize legal mechanisms under the law to promote and protect the rights of transgender individuals.

In October 2023, the Clinic corganized an educational session on legal matters for a group of 25 individuals from the transgender community with India HIV/AIDS Alliance. During the session, they explained the provisions of the Transgender Act, 2019, and the Transgender Rules, 2020.. Furthermore, they engaged in discussions regarding hypothetical scenarios, including issues like harassment by police, neighbors and employers, and the issuance of TG Cards, along with legal strategies for addressing these concerns.

The Clinic conducted a session on the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, implementation challenges and challenges associated with access to healthcare for transgender and gender-variant persons.

In June 2022, the Clinic conducted a workshop for India Vision Foundation on gender identity, the Supreme Court decision in NALSA, and the rights and entitlements under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and the specific guidelines issues for securing the rights of transgender and variant persons within prisons.

In May 2019, the Clinic conducted the first-of-its-kind fully funded certificate course titled “Human Rights of Transgender, Intersex and Gender-Diverse People” in collaboration with Love Matters India and the ICJ. The certificate course cultivated a space for peer-learning with transgender and gender-variant persons being invited to serve as faculty for the course. The curriculum for the course was also developed collaboratively with transgender activist and scholars and the pedagogical tools adopted by the Clinic sought to develop both a theoretical and practical understanding of the legal framework on the rights of transgender persons in India, especially in view of the Supreme Court’s decision in NALSA v. Union of India. Participants were also given the necessary knowledge and information to navigate public processes like filing of RTIs and First Information Reports.

In May 2017, the Clinic conducted a two-day literacy workshop for 10 transgender activists as a pilot program in collaboration with Transgender Welfare, Equity and Empowerment Trust (TWEET), Multiple Action Research Group (MARG), India HIV/AIDS Alliance, and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). The workshop sought to demystify the law by through legal training and empowerment with specific emphasis on matters related to constitutional law, criminal law, the transgender rights bills, sex work, and access to justice.

A similar workshop was conducted in November 2017.