🔗 Share this article Mother of Trans Teen Alleges State Government of Privacy Breach That Could Have ‘Outed’ Her Child The Queensland government released confidential details about the parent of a transgender teenager – data she claims potentially “outed” her teen – to a unknown individual. Allegations of “Intimidation” and “Privacy Violation” The revelation came as the government was accused of “coercion” and “an invasion of privacy” after demanding confidential health records from parents of trans youth who are considering a further legal challenge to its disputed prohibition on puberty blockers. Latest Government Directive on Hormone Treatments Recently, the Queensland health minister, Tim Nicholls, enacted a new order prohibiting the prescription of hormone blockers for trans individuals, just hours after the state’s supreme court determined the initial ban was illegal. Guardian Australia has interviewed four mothers who have approached Nicholls for a legal document called a explanation of decision – a detailed account of why the authorities decided to ban hormone treatments in the state. By law, the paper must be supplied under the state’s Judicial Review Act. Demanded 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 supporting documents which confirms your child having a clinical diagnosis of gender dysphoria”. The information were sought before the statement of reasons would be provided. The message, which has been reviewed by the media, also instructed them to “please also confirm if your child is a client of the Queensland Children’s Gender Clinic so that we can confirm the information submitted with the health service,” reads the communication, which was sent recently. Parents Describe Request as Breach of Confidentiality Each parent described the demand as an violation of confidentiality. A mother said she was reluctant to share the details because the authorities 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 frightening,” she said. Case of the Mother Louise*, who cannot be legally identified because it would also identify or “out” her teen, was one of several who asked for a statement of reasons both times. In May, the department emailed a response meant for her to another parent, revealing her name and address – and the fact that she had a trans teen – to a third party. She said a government employee later apologised over the phone; the Guardian has seen an message from the department confirming the error. She said she felt “ill and vulnerable” as a result of the blunder. “My child is incredibly private. She is immensely fearful of being outed in any public space. 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 disclose is out of necessity for gaining access to services and only to individuals I deem trustworthy and I trust completely.” Louise was particularly concerned about the suggestion it would be “confirmed” by the medical facility. She said the request was “intimidating” and “feels threatening”. Other Parent Voices Concerns Sally* said she was not comfortable disclosing the medical history of her young gender-diverse child. “It’s not my data, it’s a child’s information,” she said. “To think that that data could inadvertently be leaked someday, in any manner, you know, although that was accidental, could be deeply, deeply distressing to him.” She responded saying the agency had requested an “excessive level of detail”. “I would not share that data to another entity that requested it, particularly in the climate of the current political climate,” she said. “It’s such intensely private stuff. You would not reveal, for example, your HIV status to the government office, you know. You’d be very reluctant and careful to submit 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 evaluating a second lawsuit, it said last week. Its president, Ren Shike, said the ruling had impacted about 500 Queensland children and their relatives and it was “important to efficiently facilitate the supply of reasons so that children and their parents can understand the logic behind this decision, which has had such a devastating impact on their access to healthcare”. Authorities Stance on Ban The authorities has repeatedly said the prohibition would stay enforced until a review into trans healthcare had been completed.