Education Equity for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Persons in India: Insights Into Implementation Hurdles

Part I of this article presents international, global, and national approaches to the right to education for transgender and gender-diverse persons. It then describes the Indian approach—the NALSA judgment and the Transgender Persons Act. Finally, it provides anecdotal insight into the lived experiences of transgender and gender-diverse persons and the marginalization they face. Part II outlines: (i) the rationale of this study, (ii) the research methodology, and (iii) the questions in the right to information requests, which have formed the basis for investigating the landscape of education rights for transgender and gender-diverse students. Part III provides an overview of the responses received for each question, shedding light on alarming policy failures regarding access to education for transgender and gender-diverse persons. Part IV analyses these responses and presents our findings. Finally, our Conclusion highlights key observations and concerns that must be addressed to ensure the realization of the right to education for transgender and gender-diverse persons in India. Following the conclusion, we include a Tables section, containing Annexure I, Table 1, and Table 2, which includes all country-wide and institution-specific data collected during our study.