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The state government released private details about the parent of a trans teenager – information she says potentially “outed” her teen – to a stranger.

Accusations of “Intimidation” and “Privacy Violation”

The revelation emerged as the government was charged of “intimidation” and “an invasion of privacy” after requesting confidential medical information from parents of trans youth who are contemplating a additional legal challenge to its disputed ban on hormone blockers.

Latest Official Order on Puberty Blockers

Recently, the Queensland health minister, Tim Nicholls, enacted a new order prohibiting the prescription of puberty blockers for transgender patients, just hours after the high court determined the government’s first attempt was illegal.

Guardian Australia has interviewed four mothers who have contacted Nicholls for a official paper called a statement of reasons – a formal explanation of why the authorities made a decision to ban puberty blockers in the region. By law, the paper must be provided under the state’s Judicial Review Act.

Requested Medical Details

Each were asked by the health authorities for details of their teen’s health background, including “your child’s name, their birthdate and any supporting documents which supports your child having a medical confirmation of gender identity disorder”.

The information were sought before the explanation would be released.

The message, which has been seen by the media, also instructed them to verify if your teen is a patient of the Queensland Children’s Gender Clinic so that we can verify the data provided with the health service,” states the communication, which was dispatched last Friday.

Parents Describe Demand as Breach of Confidentiality

Each parent described the demand as an violation of confidentiality.

One parent said she was hesitant to share the details because the authorities had mistakenly sent her data to a another individual.

“It feels like having to ‘out’ your child to obtain a response; like, it’s frightening,” she said.

Situation of the Mother

The parent, who cannot be legally identified because it would also identify or “out” her teen, was among those who asked for a statement of reasons both times.

Earlier, the department emailed a reply meant for her to another parent, disclosing her identity and address – and the detail that she had a transgender child – to a third party. She said a government employee later apologised by telephone; the media has seen an email from the agency confirming the error.

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

“My daughter is incredibly private. She is deeply afraid of being outed in any social setting. She dislikes anyone to be aware that she’s transgender,” Louise said.

“I honor that to my core as much as humanly possible. The sole occasion I ever disclose is out of need for gaining access to services and exclusively to individuals I consider incredibly safe and I trust completely.”

Louise was especially worried about the suggestion it would be “confirmed” by the hospital.

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

Additional Parent Voices Concerns

Another mother said she was unwilling disclosing the health background of her seven-year-old non-binary child.

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

“To think that that data could inadvertently be disclosed one day, in any way, you know, even if that was accidental, could be deeply, deeply distressing to him.”

She wrote back saying the agency had asked for an “excessive level of detail”.

“I would not share that information to any other organisation that requested it, particularly in the climate of the current political climate,” she said.

“It’s such highly confidential stuff. You wouldn’t disclose, for example, your medical condition to the minister’s office, you know. You’d be hesitant and careful to provide any of that information to a bunch of bureaucrats, essentially.”

Advocacy Group Weighing Second Lawsuit

The LGBTI Legal Service, which represented the mother in her case, was considering a new legal action, it said recently.

Its president, Ren Shike, said the ruling had impacted about hundreds of minors and their relatives and it was “important to promptly enable the provision of reasons so that minors and their guardians can comprehend the logic behind this ruling, which has had such a severe effect on their medical care”.

Authorities Stance on Prohibition

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