I recently fulfilled a lifelong dream of attending graduate school and learned how to support others facing life’s challenges. As a new psychologist, I am proud to return to my home state and serve Kansans of all backgrounds, abilities, and genders.

During my training, I studied bullying behaviors in groups of children of different ages. My team and I learned that preschoolers defined bullies as someone who “takes something that wasn’t theirs,” like a toy. When we surveyed middle school students, we found that bullying became more creative, such as taking over someone’s sense of security through unkind words or even violence.

Unfortunately, we all know that bullying behavior extends into adulthood. When others steal our sense of security, we become afraid. Fear is powerful and can turn people against each other. Politicians and interest groups are doing just that, pushing harmful agendas that prevent transgender Kansans from accessing their right to safety.

On October 12, The Capital Journal published an op-ed by individuals affiliated with the Alliance for the Defense of Freedom (ADF), which is designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The story illustrated the important role sports play in the lives of girls and women. However, the case for women’s equality has been made at the expense of transgender and gender nonbinary people.

The play and ADF promote bullying behavior by demonizing and discriminating against Kansans who do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. The truth is that transgender girls don’t make sports any less safe, but fear-based misinformation does.

The belief that transgender athletes are a the threat to women’s safety is unfounded. As someone who has studied the impact of both interpersonal conflict and gender identity, and who works in the field of mental health, I have found that state laws like the so-called “Women’s Bill of Rights” passed in Kansas pose a threat to the safety of transgender people . and non-binary youth. Tragically, these laws have caused up to a 72% increase in suicide attempts among this demographic.

In 2022, 82% of LGBTQ+ students aged 13-21 reported feeling unsafe at school in the previous year, and nearly a quarter shared that this lack of safety was because of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. About 10% reported that school staff or coaches prevented or discouraged them from playing sports because of their LGBTQ+ identity.

The The American Psychological Association encourages “policies, at all levels of government, (to support) the right of students not to be singled out, excluded and/or harassed on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in all educational settings, including athletics.”

As a dance instructor, I want all female athletes to be welcome and successful. The Title IX law discussed in original editorial helps facilitate this by “prohibiting discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity and sexual characteristics”.

To truly support female athletes, Kansas should better fund girls’ and women’s sports. Unfortunately, USA Today found that Kansas spent more than $4 million more on men’s sports than women’s between 2018 and 2020.

Supporting women in sport means making everyone’s participation a priority. Removing one’s sense of safety through misleading policies and editorials can empower bullies, but this fear only causes harm. We are strongest when we lift up other Kansans, regardless of their gender identity.

If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health emergency, call or text 988 to contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For LGBTQ+ specific help, call the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text 678-678.

Meredith Higgins is a licensed (provisional) psychologist in the state of Kansas who provides supervised psychotherapy and assessment services for individuals experiencing a range of mental health issues.

This article originally appeared on the Topeka Capital-Journal: Opinion: Kansans are better than bullying transgender youth in sports