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The Queensland government disclosed confidential details about the parent of a transgender teenager – information she claims potentially “outed” her teen – to a unknown individual.

Accusations of “Bullying” and “Privacy Violation”

The disclosure came as the state government was charged of “intimidation” and “a breach of confidentiality” after requesting private medical information from guardians of trans youth who are considering a further legal challenge to its controversial ban on puberty blockers.

Recent Official Directive on Puberty Blockers

Recently, the state health official, Tim Nicholls, enacted a fresh directive banning the use of puberty blockers for trans individuals, shortly after the state’s supreme court ruled the government’s first attempt was illegal.

Guardian Australia has spoken to several parents who have contacted Nicholls for a official paper called a explanation of decision – a detailed account of why the authorities decided to prohibit hormone treatments in the region. By law, the document must be supplied under the legal statute.

Requested Health Information

Each were asked by the health authorities for particulars of their teen’s health background, including “your child’s name, their date of birth and any other evidence which supports your child having a medical confirmation of gender identity disorder”.

The information were requested before the explanation would be released.

The email, which has been reviewed by the media, also instructed them to “please also confirm if your teen is a patient of the youth gender service so that we can verify the information submitted with the health service,” reads the communication, which was dispatched recently.

Parents Describe Request as Breach of Confidentiality

Each parent characterized the demand as an invasion of privacy.

A mother said she was hesitant to divulge the information because the state government had mistakenly forwarded her data to a different parent.

“It feels like having to reveal your child to actually get a response; like, it’s terrifying,” she said.

Situation of Louise*

Louise*, who cannot be legally identified because it would also identify or expose her teen, was one of several who requested a statement of reasons on multiple occasions.

Earlier, the agency emailed a response intended for her to someone else, revealing her name and address – and the detail that she had a transgender child – to a third party. She said a government employee later apologised over the phone; the media has obtained an message from the agency confirming the error.

She said she felt “ill and vulnerable” as a result of the blunder.

“My child is incredibly private. She is deeply afraid of being outed in any social setting. She doesn’t like people to be aware that she’s trans,” the mother said.

“I honor that to my very being as much as possible. The only time I ever, ever share is out of necessity for obtaining entry to services and exclusively to individuals I consider incredibly safe and I trust completely.”

The parent was particularly concerned about the implication it would be “verified” by the hospital.

She said the request was “threatening” and “feels threatening”.

Additional Mother Expresses Concerns

Sally* said she was not comfortable disclosing the health background of her seven-year-old gender-diverse child.

“It’s not my information, it’s a child’s information,” she said.

“To imagine that that data could accidentally be disclosed one day, in any manner, you know, even if that was unintentional, could be deeply, deeply distressing to them.”

She wrote back saying the agency had asked for an “extraordinary amount of information”.

“I wouldn’t provide that data to any other organisation that requested it, particularly in the context of the present environment,” she said.

“It’s such highly confidential information. You wouldn’t disclose, for instance, your HIV status to the government office, you know. You’d be very reluctant and very cautious to provide such details to a bunch of bureaucrats, basically.”

Advocacy Group Weighing Second Lawsuit

The LGBTI Legal Service, which represented the parent in her case, was considering a second lawsuit, it said recently.

The head, Ren Shike, said the decision had impacted about 500 Queensland children and their relatives and it was crucial to promptly enable the provision of explanations so that minors and their guardians can understand the logic behind this ruling, which has had such a devastating impact on their medical care”.

Authorities Stance on Ban

The authorities has repeatedly said the ban would stay enforced until a examination into trans healthcare had been completed.