A feminist legal group has come out against proposed changes to Northern Territory transgender laws, saying they will threaten women's safety.

Key points: The NT Government may allow transgender people to change the sex on their birth certificate without undergoing gender reassignment surgery

The NT Government may allow transgender people to change the sex on their birth certificate without undergoing gender reassignment surgery A feminist group believes the law change would put women at risk

A feminist group believes the law change would put women at risk A transgender woman said the law change would help those who could not access surgery

Among a suite of progressive proposed measures, the NT Government has mooted the possibility of allowing transgender people to change the sex listed on their birth certificate without them having undergone any gender reassignment surgery.

Instead it will require trans people to have "received appropriate clinical treatment" as well as consent from a psychologist.

Similar laws have so far been introduced in South Australia and the ACT, and were recently voted down in the Victorian Parliament.

Anna Kerr, who is the senior litigator with the Feminist Legal Clinic, describes herself as a "radical feminist" and concedes her views are not popular within large segments of the feminist community, but she insists allowing trans people to change their marked sex without gender reassignment will put women at risk.

"This is something that is happening in jurisdictions in Australia and the world and our views are shared by women around the world," she said.

Ms Kerr said under the changes many women would no longer feel safe in female-only bathrooms and dressing areas.

"It's going to be impossible in future to have any sort of segregated sex services or services like toilets, change rooms and prisons," she said.

"And also some of the things we obtained in the women's liberation movement — like women's refuges and safe rooms in court, as well affirmative action opportunities things like quotas.

"We would say the male biology isn't completely irrelevant, I mean it's already having a very negative impact on women's sport.

"Someone who's been born male and has developed the muscular features and all the rest that goes with being a male can now compete as a woman.

"Naturally they do have a physiological advantage and that's not nullified by taking hormones for a short period."

'There's never been any increase in danger'

At the core of Ms Kerr's argument is a belief she feels some men could take advantage of the laws for "nefarious purposes" and make it difficult for people to determine the intentions of trans people.

Changes under consideration: Removing the requirement to be "unmarried" in order to register a change of sex

Removing the requirement to be "unmarried" in order to register a change of sex Allowing for the registration of a change of sex or gender identity, rather than a change of sex only

Allowing for the registration of a change of sex or gender identity, rather than a change of sex only Allowing a person to register their sex or gender identity as something other than male or female. It will include recognition of intersex persons

Allowing a person to register their sex or gender identity as something other than male or female. It will include recognition of intersex persons Removing the requirement to have undergone sexual reassignment surgery to register a change of sex and replace it with a requirement to have received appropriate clinical treatment

Removing the requirement to have undergone sexual reassignment surgery to register a change of sex and replace it with a requirement to have received appropriate clinical treatment Adding safeguards to applications to register a change of sex for a child

That argument however has been strongly rejected by the NT anti-discrimination commissioner Sally Sievers who believes the majority of people in the Territory and Australia have a more progressive view than Ms Kerr.

"The community has moved on so much further than that and way past that argument, and people don't do gender changes on their birth certificates lightly," she said.

Ms Sievers said while the proposals were "a great step" they could go further, and the NT should follow the lead of the Tasmanian Government, which is set to make gender on birth certificates optional.

"It's still a medicalised model so it still requires some level affirmation by a medical practitioner rather than the person self-identifying and the reason we advocate to that is because not everyone the [in the] Territory actually has easy access to health professionals and councillors," she said.

The executive director of Transgender Victoria and trans woman Sally Goldner has been following the debate in the NT and said it was disappointing to hear of the Feminist Legal Clinic's argument.

"Australia has had laws and practices supporting trans people for over a third of a century in some parts and there's never been any increase in danger to women after such a law has been brought in," she said.

"We understand very much that women experience violations as a result of their gender because so do we … we very much empathise with that."

Ms Goldner said the proposed law changes were particularly important for Aboriginal trans women and men (or sistergirls and brotherboys) who do not have access to medical facilities.

"In terms of the surgery requirement, not everyone can afford to have surgery, not everyone can go on to the operating table because they might be at risk, not everyone can access it," she said.

"Anything that makes things fairer people is something we should always pursue."