Pedro Pascal supports transgender rights at ‘Thunderbolts’ London premiere
Actor Pedro Pascal reaffirmed his support for transgender rights at the London premiere of Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts’, making a powerful statement through fashion. “I thought of the brilliance of Octopus”: Pedro Pascal shares insights on his character in ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Appearing at Cineworld Leicester Square, the ‘Last of Us’ and ‘Game of Thrones’ star donned the now-iconic “Protect the Dolls” t-shirt, as per Deadline. Designed by Conner Ives, the shirt first gained widespread attention during Pascal’s 50th birthday celebration earlier this month. The phrase “Protect the Dolls” holds deep meaning within the LGBTQIA+ community, with “Dolls” referring specifically to trans women. The garment was part of Ives’ recent London Fashion Week collection, which aimed to highlight ongoing threats to transgender rights worldwide. According to Deadline, in an earlier interview, Ives explained the motivation behind the design and said, “It was very reactive. I knew I wanted to say something, given what we’ve observed in the last few months with the U.S. government and the current political regime.” Pascal’s choice to wear the shirt comes shortly after the UK Supreme Court ruled that legal definitions of women must be based on biological sex, effectively excluding transgender women from several legal recognitions. The ruling sparked widespread criticism from human rights groups and advocates for trans inclusivity, as per Deadline. A vocal supporter of trans rights, Pascal has frequently used his platform to advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. His advocacy is also personal as his sister, Lux Pascal, publicly came out as a transgender woman in 2021. Since then, Pedro has shown consistent support for her and the broader trans community. Recently, many artists, including Lady Gaga and Madonna have come in support of trans gender rights, particularly during the administration of Donald Trump, who introduced policies limiting transgender military service through an executive order titled “Prioritising Military Excellence and Readiness.” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news was originally published on https://timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
How Ayushman Bharat fails India’s transgender population
Marred by poor funding, delayed rollout, and vague policies, the promise of inclusive healthcare for the transgender community is now just another scheme on paper. The Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) was launched in 2018 to make quality healthcare accessible and affordable to everyone in India. In August 2022, the government announced that AB-PMJAY would also cover transgender individuals and offer them additional access to gender-affirming procedures such as sex reassignment surgery (SRS) and hormone therapy. Two-and-a-half years since it was announced, the Ayushman Bharat TG Plus card, through which these benefits would be delivered, is yet to be rolled out. The government has also not updated the AB-PMJAY health benefit package to include gender-affirmative care. The most recent package, launched in April 2022, does not list such procedures among the 1,949 treatments offered. AB-PMJAY has two main arms – free primary care through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (previously known as Health and Wellness Centres), and an annual health insurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family for hospitalisations. This insurance is valid at over 31,800 empaneled hospitals across the country, of which 45 percent are private. The scheme claims to cover around 620 million people from 147 million families, mostly those identified as vulnerable under the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011, or by states and union territories, and senior citizens above 70 years. Of these, the programme has verified Ayushman cards of 405.7 million people, or about 65 percent of the target. Experts say bureaucratic hurdles in getting a card identifying them as transgender, stigma at hospitals and an unclear policy on healthcare access has restricted the enrollment and use of AB-PMJAY by transgender people. Despite legal guarantees, gender-affirming care remains out of reach Transition-related care has been shown to improve the mental health and overall well-being of transgender people. Yet, access remains limited. A 2018 study by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) found that 57 percent of 900 transgender respondents in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi wanted sex reassignment surgery but couldn’t afford it. More recently, a 2023 study of 377 transmasculine individuals across India found that only about a quarter had undergone any form of surgery, most commonly chest surgery. The majority said they wanted procedures – ranging from chest surgery to hysterectomy – but hadn’t been able to pursue them, largely due to financial barriers. The cost of SRS in private hospitals reportedly ranges from Rs 2 to Rs 8 lakh depending on the procedure. This does not include pre and post-operative care. The few public hospitals that provide such procedures do so only after considerable delays and there are issues of quality healthcare, several people told IndiaSpend. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 (TGPA 2019), and the 2020 Rules require the government to provide quality public healthcare to transgender people, including gender-affirming healthcare, counselling, medical insurance and separate hospital wards. But implementation has been patchy and inconsistent across states. So far, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Haryana, Karnataka, Assam, Odisha, Maharashtra and Puducherry have adopted state-level transgender policies. Tamil Nadu reportedly offers free gender-affirmative procedures at select government hospitals, while Delhi’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan, Guru Teg Bahadur, and Ram Manohar Lohia hospitals provide free SRS. Kerala reportedly reimburses surgery costs and provides Rs 3,000 a month for a year for post-operative care. Maharashtra, despite promising free surgeries, has reportedly made no budgetary provisions for the same. “Insurers in India do not cover procedures related to sex reassignment under health insurance policies unless these are medically necessitated, say due to an accident or cancer,” said an agent from the insurance advisory platform Ditto Insurance, who did not wish to be named. The Ayushman Bharat TG Plus Card was expected to address these gaps in affordability of gender-affirmative care. “When the announcement was made back in August 2022, the trans community got really excited about the TG Plus card primarily because the government promised that it would cover gender affirmation procedures,” said Gautam, a 27-year-old trans man based in Mumbai. Gautam started his transition in late 2020, spending Rs 1.25 lakh on getting top surgery through a private hospital in Delhi. This does not include the sum he spent on counseling and hormone therapy. “I paid for the surgery through my savings. I did not have any insurance back then, because I did not see the point in having something that did not cover such a basic healthcare need for my well-being. My overall experience after the surgery has been positive, but yes, spending most of my savings has stung,” he said. Delayed payments, low package rates Aqsa Shaikh, a trans woman and professor of community medicine at Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences & Research in Delhi, said: “One reason for the delay in extending the health benefit package of Ayushman Bharat to include SRS and such procedures could be the difficulty in finding enough hospitals providing these services to empanel themselves with the National Health Authority, the body responsible for implementing the scheme.” Complex sex reassignment surgeries like vaginoplasty and phalloplasty often need multi-specialty collaborations (involving urology, plastic surgery, general surgery and gynaecology). “In India, less than 50 plastic surgeons provide major SRS. Most of these surgeons are only available in private hospitals and have a long list of clients with wait times ranging from four-six months. Most of them don’t really have any incentive to empanel themselves with the NHA, especially when Ayushman Bharat in its current form is saddled with issues of delayed claim settlement and low package rates that don’t cover the cost of providing treatment in private hospitals,” said Shaikh. Private hospitals face six-eight months’ delay in claim settlement under the scheme, as reported by The Print last year. Since its launch, over 600 private hospitals have opted out of AB-PMJAY, citing reasons such as delayed payments and low reimbursement rates. At the same time, misuse by hospitals is also a concern. Of the 66.6 million claims reviewed by the National Anti-Fraud Unit, 270,000 claims worth Rs
How JK Rowling funded a legal battle that curtailed trans rights in UK
Author JK Rowling has come under renewed scrutiny after reportedly donating £70,000 to For Women Scotland, the group that initiated the legal challenge resulting in a landmark UK Supreme Court ruling on transgender rights, according to a report by MSNBC. This week, the court ruled that trans women should not be legally recognised as women under specific legal contexts—a decision hailed by some as a protection of sex-based rights, but one that has alarmed transgender individuals and advocacy groups across the country. Supporters of the ruling argue it reinforces legal safeguards for biological women in spaces such as prisons, changing rooms, and competitive sports. Critics, however, view it as a major setback for transgender rights, effectively reversing hard-won civil protections. Rowling, who has been outspoken on issues relating to gender and women’s rights, appeared to celebrate the judgment on social media. She posted a photo of herself holding a cigar and glass of wine on a yacht, with the caption: “I love it when a plan comes together.” — jk_rowling (@jk_rowling) Meanwhile, resharing her own post from the judgement day Rowling took jibe on the LGBTQ community she in a post on X said, “To those celebrating the fact that I’m smoking a blunt: it’s a cigar. Even if it decided to identify as a blunt for the purposes of this celebration, it would remain objectively, provably and demonstratively a cigar.” The ruling coincided with HBO’s casting announcement for its upcoming Harry Potter television reboot, naming veteran actor John Lithgow as Dumbledore. Lithgow had previously gained acclaim for playing a trans woman in The World According to Garp, a contrast not lost on observers given Rowling’s prominent role as executive producer of the series. For Women Scotland had argued that legislation failing to distinguish clearly between biological sex and gender identity diluted protections for women. Rowling’s financial support for the organisation is seen by her supporters as part of her broader advocacy to preserve sex-based rights. The case has drawn criticism for excluding testimony from trans individuals or trans rights organisations. Many advocates say potential witnesses were deterred by concerns they would not be taken seriously or might face public backlash. A similar lack of trans representation was flagged in the NHS-commissioned Cass Report, which examined gender-affirming healthcare for youth. Internationally, the ruling reflects a broader trend of increasing legal and cultural challenges to transgender rights. In the United States, federal and state-level measures have restricted gender-affirming care and banned trans athletes from school sports, among other moves. While trans rights remain deeply influenced by geography and political context, the UK judgment has become a flashpoint in the global conversation. Advocates are calling for more inclusive dialogue as legal and cultural debates continue to unfold. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.