The Trump administration has launched an investigation into Smith College, a progressive all-women's institution in Massachusetts, over its policy of admitting transgender students. The US Department of Education announced on Monday that its Office for Civil Rights will examine whether the college violated Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational settings.
Title IX Exemption Under Scrutiny
The agency contends that Smith may be in breach of Title IX because the exemption for single-sex colleges applies 'on the basis of biological sex difference, not subjective gender identity.' Kimberly Richey, the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, stated, 'An all-women's college loses all meaning if it is admitting biological males. Allowing biological males into spaces designed for women raises serious concerns about privacy, fairness, and compliance under federal law.' She added that the administration would 'continue to uphold the law and fight to restore common sense.'
Smith College's Transgender Admission Policy
Smith College's website currently notes that 'cis, trans, and nonbinary women are eligible to apply' for admission, and that hormone therapy is provided on campus. The college began admitting transgender women in 2015, two years after facing backlash for denying admission to Calliope Wong, a high school senior whose gender identity did not match her financial aid form. Wong later enrolled at the University of Connecticut and graduated early before taking her own life in 2021.
The Department of Education claimed Smith was 'admitting biological men and granting them access to women-only spaces, including dormitories, bathrooms, locker rooms, and athletic teams.' The agency argued, 'When an institution holds itself out as being an all-women's college, it is not just promising to deliver female-only dorms and bathrooms, and single-sex athletics; it is also committing to maintain a student body that makes possible a particular form of sorority and camaraderie.'
Support for Transgender Students
It is unclear how many transgender students are currently enrolled at Smith. The college states it is 'actively working to expand support for transgender students.' It provides 'trans-affirming primary care,' including hormone therapy, at the Schacht Center for Health and Wellness. Additionally, every single-occupancy restroom on campus is designated as all-gender, and there is an all-gender locker room in the athletic facilities with private showering and changing areas.
Civil Rights Complaint
The investigation was prompted by a civil rights complaint filed by Defending Education, a conservative nonprofit whose mission is 'working to restore schools at all levels from activists imposing harmful agendas.' The original complaint alleged that the college 'threatens to investigate and/or punish students who disagree with the college's unlawful policies on gender identity and sex.' Nicole Neily, president of Defending Education, expressed gratification at the investigation, stating, 'I believe very strongly in the importance of single-sex spaces, be it a boys camp or an all-women's college. How Smith College has been addressing the issue of gender, to me, is very troubling. It sends a very mixed message that natal males who identify as female are allowed to attend, but biological girls who identify as boys are not.'
College's Response
A spokesperson for Smith College confirmed the Department of Education's probe but declined to comment on pending government investigations, stating, 'The College is fully committed to its institutional values, including compliance with civil rights laws.'
Broader Context
About 4.7 percent of undergraduate college students identify as transgender, according to the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine, with the figure dropping to roughly 2.7 percent among graduate students. The Trump administration has previously investigated other colleges on transgender-related matters. In January, the Department of Education announced that San Jose State University violated Title IX by 'allowing males to compete in women's sports and access female-only facilities.' In March, $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania was frozen 'over its policies forcing women to compete with men in sports,' following an executive order titled 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports.'
