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The Queensland government released private information about the parent of a transgender teenager – information she says potentially “outed” her teen – to a unknown individual.

Accusations of “Intimidation” and “Invasion of Privacy”

The disclosure came as the state government was accused of “intimidation” and “an invasion of privacy” after demanding confidential health records from guardians of transgender children who are contemplating a further legal challenge to its disputed prohibition on puberty blockers.

Latest Government Order on Hormone Treatments

Last month, the state health official, Tim Nicholls, enacted a fresh directive banning the prescription of puberty blockers for transgender patients, shortly after the high court ruled the initial ban was illegal.

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

Requested Health Information

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

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

The message, which has been seen by the Guardian, also asked them to verify if your child is a client of the youth gender service so that we can confirm the information provided with Children’s Health Queensland,” reads the email, which was sent last Friday.

Parents Label Request as Invasion of Privacy

All four mothers characterized the request as an violation of confidentiality.

A mother said she was reluctant to divulge the information because the state government had accidentally sent her information to a different parent.

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

Situation of the Mother

The parent, who cannot be legally identified because it would also identify or expose her teen, was among those who requested a explanation both times.

Earlier, the department emailed a response intended for her to someone else, disclosing her name and location – and the detail that she had a transgender child – to a third party. She said a government employee later said sorry by telephone; the media has seen an email from the department confirming the error.

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

“My daughter is incredibly private. She is deeply afraid of being outed in any public space. 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 humanly possible. The only time I ever share is out of need for gaining access to services and only to people I deem trustworthy and I trust completely.”

Louise was particularly concerned about the implication it would be “confirmed” by the hospital.

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

Additional Parent Voices Worries

Another mother said she was unwilling 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 think that that information could accidentally be disclosed someday, in any manner, you know, although that was unintentional, could be deeply, deeply distressing to them.”

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

“I wouldn’t provide that information to another entity that requested it, particularly in the climate of the current political climate,” she said.

“It’s such intensely private information. You wouldn’t disclose, for instance, your medical condition to the minister’s office, you know. You’d be hesitant and careful to submit such details to a group of officials, basically.”

Advocacy Group Considering Further Action

The advocacy organization, which assisted the parent in her case, was evaluating 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 “important to efficiently facilitate the supply of explanations so that children and their parents can comprehend the logic behind this ruling, which has had such a severe effect on their access to healthcare”.

Government Stance on Ban

The authorities has consistently said the ban would stay enforced until a examination into gender-affirming care had been completed.