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The Queensland government disclosed private information about the mother of a transgender teenager – information she claims potentially exposed her child – to a stranger.

Accusations of “Bullying” and “Privacy Violation”

The revelation emerged as the government was charged of “coercion” and “an invasion of privacy” after demanding private health records from guardians of transgender children who are considering a further legal challenge to its disputed prohibition on hormone blockers.

Recent Official Directive on Puberty Blockers

Last month, the state health minister, Tim Nicholls, enacted a fresh directive prohibiting the use of hormone blockers for transgender patients, shortly after the high court ruled the initial ban was unlawful.

Guardian Australia has spoken to four mothers who have approached Nicholls for a legal document called a explanation of decision – a formal explanation of why the authorities made a decision to ban puberty blockers in the region. By law, the paper must be supplied under the state’s Judicial Review Act.

Requested Health Information

All four were asked by the health authorities for details of their child’s medical history, including “your child’s name, their birthdate and any supporting documents which confirms your child having a clinical diagnosis of gender identity disorder”.

The details were sought before the explanation would be provided.

The message, 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 data provided with Children’s Health Queensland,” reads the communication, which was dispatched recently.

Parents Label Request as Invasion of Privacy

Each parent described the request as an violation of confidentiality.

A mother said she was hesitant to share the details because the state government had mistakenly sent her data to a different parent.

“It seems like having to reveal your teen to obtain a response; like, it’s frightening,” she said.

Case of the Mother

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

In May, the department emailed a reply meant for her to someone else, revealing her name and location – and the detail that she had a trans teen – to a third party. She said a department official later said sorry over the phone; the Guardian has obtained an message from the department admitting the mistake.

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 anyone to be aware that she’s trans,” the mother said.

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

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

She said the demand was “intimidating” and “seems coercive”.

Additional Mother Voices Concerns

Another mother said she was not comfortable disclosing the health background of her young gender-diverse child.

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

“To imagine that that information could inadvertently be leaked someday, in any way, you know, even if that was unintentional, could be deeply, deeply distressing to them.”

She responded saying the department had requested an “excessive level of detail”.

“I would not share that data to another entity that asked for it, particularly in the climate of the current political climate,” she said.

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

Advocacy Group Weighing Further Action

The LGBTI Legal Service, which assisted the parent in her case, was considering a second lawsuit, it said last week.

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

Authorities Position on Prohibition

The government has repeatedly said the prohibition would stay enforced until a review into trans healthcare had been completed.