Hochemin Islam, a prominent transgender rights activist, was set to speak at “Women’s Career Carnival” on November 24 at the capital’s North South University (NSU). However, the event, hosted by NSU’s Career and Placement Center (CPC) and organised by Heroes for All and iSocial Limited, did not finally have Islam on board. The decision to not allow Islam to speak was preceded by protests from a faction of the university’s students. Through a formal “Letter of objection and notification about Criminal activity as per Bangladesh penal code chapter 16 article 377 inside our NSU campus and the Promotion of Homosexuality (Transgenderism & LGBTQIA+) on November 24, 2023,” they sought to highlight that bringing Islam in would be illegal as it would incite outrage of religious feelings. The NSU authority finally decided against bringing her in, citing concerns regarding her safety.