The US Department of Education has launched a civil rights investigation into Smith College, a prestigious women's college in Massachusetts, over its policy of admitting transgender women. The inquiry, announced on Monday, alleges that the college may be violating Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education, by allowing 'biological males into women's intimate spaces' such as dorms, bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams.
Kimberly Richey, assistant secretary for civil rights, stated that an all-women's college 'loses all meaning' if it admits biological males, and that the Trump administration will 'continue to uphold the law and fight to restore common sense.' The department argues that Title IX's exemption for single-sex institutions applies only to 'biological sex difference, not subjective gender identity.'
Smith College's admission policy currently accepts 'any applicants who self-identify as women,' including cisgender, transgender, and nonbinary women. The college, founded in 1875, counts several first ladies and elected officials among its alumni. In a statement, Smith said it has received notice of the investigation and is 'fully committed to its institutional values, including compliance with civil rights laws,' but declined to comment further on a pending investigation.
The probe follows a complaint filed in June 2025 by Defending Education, a rightwing group that targets schools over diversity policies. The group argued that Smith's policy is discriminatory because it admits 'natal men who identify as women' but not 'natal women who identify as men.' Smith first affirmed its transgender admissions policy in 2015 after a year-long study, stating that 'concepts of female identity have evolved' since its founding.
This investigation is part of a broader Trump administration effort to restrict transgender rights, including attempts to ban transgender athletes from women's sports and limit access to gender-affirming care. Last year, Smith College adopted a new NCAA policy prohibiting transgender women from competing in women's sports.
