Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Building a Separate 'Modi Shrine' for Transgender People Harms Inclusion
Imagine a library where everyone reads together, and someone builds a special room just for one group of kids.
Some people think the special room is nice because those kids get their own space.
Others think it is unfair because it keeps them apart from everyone else.
In India, there is a plan to build a special temple just for transgender people.
Transgender people are people whose feelings about being a boy or a girl do not match what people expected when they were born.
Some supporters say the temple is needed because transgender people do not have their own deity.
But old Hindu stories are full of gods and heroes who mix being a boy and being a girl.
So critics say the claim is not true, and traditions already include transgender communities.
Making a separate temple can keep transgender people in a corner instead of welcoming them everywhere.
Truly including people means opening every temple to everyone with kindness and respect.
A proposal to build a separate temple for transgender people — called a 'Modi Shrine' — is being criticized for doing the opposite of inclusion.
Critics say the justification that gender-diverse people 'have no deity of their own' ignores centuries of subcontinental history and sacred traditions.
Hindu mythology already features queer, non-binary, and gender-fluid identities, including Shiva as Ardhanarishvara, Vishnu as Mohini, and Shikhandi in the Mahabharata.
Ramayana narratives describe Rama granting a boon of spiritual dignity to the Kinnar and Hijra communities on the banks of the Sarayu.
The article argues the separate shrine creates a ghetto and hides gender-based exclusion behind promises of 'protection' and a 'dedicated space.'
- Who
- Critics of the proposal — including sociologist and activist Dr DaShanne Stokes — responding to a plan backed by India's ruling establishment.
- What
- A proposal to build a separate 'Modi Shrine' temple for transgender people, which critics say marginalizes them instead of promoting inclusion.
- When
- Not specified in the articles; the proposal is discussed as a current plan under the ruling establishment's socio-cultural banner.
- Where
- India — particularly religious centres such as Varanasi and Ayodhya, and the banks of the Sarayu river.
- Why
- Supporters say transgender people lack a deity of their own and deserve a protected, dedicated space; critics say the shrine hides gender-based exclusion and that mainstream temples should open their doors instead.
Critics of the separate shrine
Proponents of the separate shrine
Separate space vs. integration
Critics of the separate shrine
A segregated shrine creates a ghetto and lets mainstream temples avoid dismantling institutional bigotry; inclusion means opening existing temples to transgender devotees.
Proponents of the separate shrine
A dedicated shrine provides 'protection' and a special space for transgender devotees, giving them a place of worship of their own.
Deity and tradition
Critics of the separate shrine
Hindu mythology already includes queer and gender-fluid identities (Ardhanarishvara, Mohini, Shikhandi, and the Ramayana's boon to Kinnar and Hijra), so transgender people are not without a deity.
Proponents of the separate shrine
Gender-diverse people 'have no deity of their own,' which is the stated justification for building a separate temple.
- Proposal
- Building a separate temple ('Modi Shrine') for transgender people
- Proponents' rationale
- Gender-diverse people 'have no deity of their own'; need 'protection' and a 'dedicated space'
- Critics' position
- A separate shrine creates a ghetto and hides gender-based exclusion; mainstream temples should be opened instead
- Mythological figures cited
- Shiva (Ardhanarishvara), Vishnu (Mohini), Shikhandi (Mahabharata)
- Religious texts referenced
- Mahabharata and Ramayana (boon to Kinnar and Hijra communities on the banks of the Sarayu)
- Religious centres named
- Varanasi and Ayodhya
- Key quote
- Dr DaShanne Stokes: 'When we hide discrimination under the guise of protection or religious freedom, we make a mockery of human rights.'
- Article type
- Opinion/analysis piece