🔗 Share this article

The Queensland government released confidential information about the parent of a trans teenager – data she says potentially “outed” her teen – to a stranger.

Accusations of “Bullying” and “Invasion of Privacy”

The disclosure emerged as the government was accused of “coercion” and “an invasion of privacy” after requesting private medical information from guardians of trans youth who are considering a additional court case to its disputed prohibition on hormone blockers.

Recent Official Directive on Puberty Blockers

Last month, the state health minister, Tim Nicholls, issued a new order prohibiting the prescription of hormone blockers for trans individuals, shortly after the state’s supreme court determined the initial ban was illegal.

Media has spoken to four mothers who have contacted Nicholls for a official paper called a explanation of decision – a detailed account of why the authorities decided to ban puberty blockers in the state. Legally, the document must be provided under the legal statute.

Requested Health Information

All four were asked by the Queensland health department for particulars of their teen’s health background, including “your child’s name, their date of birth and any supporting documents which supports your child having a medical confirmation of gender dysphoria”.

The details were requested before the statement of reasons would be released.

The message, which has been reviewed by the media, also instructed them to verify if your teen is a client of the youth gender service so that we can confirm the data provided with the health service,” states the email, which was sent recently.

Parents Label Demand as Invasion of Privacy

All four mothers described the demand as an invasion of privacy.

One parent said she was hesitant to share the information because the state government had mistakenly forwarded her information to a different parent.

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

Situation of the Mother

Louise*, who must remain anonymous because it would also reveal or expose her teen, was among those who requested a statement of reasons on multiple occasions.

In May, the agency emailed a response meant for her to someone else, disclosing her identity and location – and the detail that she had a trans teen – to a third party. She said a department official later said sorry by telephone; the Guardian has obtained an email from the agency confirming the mistake.

She said she felt “sick and unsafe” as a consequence of the blunder.

“My child is very reserved. She is immensely fearful of being outed in any public space. She dislikes anyone to know that she’s transgender,” Louise said.

“I honor that to my core as much as humanly possible. The only time I ever disclose is out of necessity for gaining access to services and exclusively to people I deem incredibly safe and I trust completely.”

The parent was especially worried about the implication it would be “verified” by the medical facility.

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

Other Mother Expresses Concerns

Another mother said she was not comfortable disclosing the medical history of her seven-year-old gender-diverse child.

“It’s not my data, it’s a seven-year-old’s information,” she said.

“To think that that information could inadvertently be leaked someday, in any manner, you know, even if that was accidental, could be extremely upsetting to him.”

She responded saying the department had asked for an “extraordinary amount of information”.

“I would not share that information to another entity that requested it, especially in the climate of the current political climate,” she said.

“It’s such intensely private information. You wouldn’t disclose, for example, your HIV status to the minister’s office, you know. You’d be hesitant and very cautious to submit such details to a group of officials, essentially.”

Advocacy Group Weighing Second Lawsuit

The advocacy organization, which represented the parent in her case, was evaluating a second lawsuit, it said last week.

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

Government Position on Prohibition

The government has repeatedly said the ban would remain in place until a review into trans healthcare had been completed.