Mother of Transgender Teen Accuses Queensland Government of Privacy Breach That Could Have ‘Outed’ Her Child

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

Accusations of “Bullying” and “Invasion of Privacy”

The disclosure emerged as the state government was charged of “coercion” and “an invasion of privacy” after demanding private health records from parents of trans youth who are contemplating a further legal challenge to its controversial ban on hormone blockers.

Latest Official Directive on Puberty Blockers

Last month, the Queensland health minister, Tim Nicholls, enacted a new order banning the use of hormone blockers for transgender patients, shortly after the high court determined the initial ban was illegal.

Guardian Australia has spoken to four mothers who have contacted Nicholls for a legal document called a statement of reasons – a formal explanation of why the government decided to ban puberty blockers in the region. Legally, the document must be provided under the legal statute.

Demanded Medical Details

Each were asked by the health authorities for particulars of their child’s medical history, including the minor’s identity, their date of birth and any supporting documents which supports your child having a medical confirmation of gender identity disorder”.

The information were sought before the statement of reasons would be released.

The email, which has been seen by the Guardian, also instructed them to verify if your teen is a patient of the youth gender service so that we can confirm the information submitted with Children’s Health Queensland,” states the email, which was dispatched recently.

Mothers Label Demand as Invasion of Privacy

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

A mother said she was reluctant to divulge the details because the authorities had mistakenly forwarded her information to a different parent.

“It seems like having to reveal your teen to obtain a reply; 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 on multiple occasions.

In May, the agency sent a reply intended for her to another parent, revealing her identity and location – and the fact that she had a trans teen – to a stranger. She said a department official later said sorry by telephone; the Guardian has seen an message from the department confirming the error.

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

“My child is very reserved. She is immensely fearful of being outed in any social setting. She doesn’t like people to know that she’s trans,” the mother said.

“I respect that to my very being as much as humanly possible. The sole occasion I ever share is out of need for obtaining entry to services and exclusively to people I deem incredibly safe and I trust completely.”

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

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

Other Parent Voices Concerns

Another mother said she was unwilling revealing the health background of her young non-binary child.

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

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

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, especially 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 any of that information to a bunch of bureaucrats, basically.”

Advocacy Group Weighing Second Lawsuit

The LGBTI Legal Service, which assisted the mother in her challenge, was evaluating a new legal action, it said recently.

The head, Ren Shike, said the decision had affected about hundreds of minors and their relatives and it was “important to efficiently facilitate the supply of explanations so that minors and their parents can understand the reasoning behind this decision, which has had such a devastating impact on their access to healthcare”.

Government Position on Ban

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