Trump administration investigates Smith College for admitting transgender women
TL;DR
The US education department is investigating Smith College for admitting transgender women, potentially violating federal law. The Trump administration claims this undermines the college's status as a single-sex institution.
Key points
- US education department investigates Smith College's admissions policy
- Investigation focuses on admitting transgender women as potential federal law violation
- Title IX exemptions apply only to biological sex, not gender identity
- Smith College allows self-identified women, including transgender individuals
- Concerns raised about privacy and fairness in women's spaces
Mentioned in this story
The US education department is investigating one of the country’s largest women’s colleges over its admittance of transgender women in another escalation of the Trump administration’s attacks on trans people.
The department’s office of civil rights announced the investigation on Monday in a press release, saying the Massachusetts college could be violating federal law by “allowing biological males into women’s intimate spaces”, including dorms, bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams.
Title IX, the federal law that seeks to prevent sex-based discrimination in education and extracurriculars, includes an exemption for all-male or all-female colleges. But, the department said, that applies only to “biological sex difference, not subjective gender identity”. Admitting transgender students would mean the college no longer qualifies as single sex.
“An all-women’s college loses all meaning if it is admitting biological males,” assistant secretary for civil rights, Kimberly Richey, said in a statement. “Allowing biological males into spaces designed for women raises serious concerns about privacy, fairness, and compliance under federal law. The Trump Administration will continue to uphold the law and fight to restore common sense.”
Smith’s admission policy allows for “any applicants who self-identify as women”, including “cis, trans and nonbinary women”, according to the college’s website. The college opened in 1875 and counts among its alumni multiple first ladies, elected officials and civic leaders.
The investigation comes as the Trump administration seeks to drive transgender people out of public spaces. The administration has sought to end transgender participation in sports, including filing lawsuits against states that allow such participation, and is seeking to ban access to gender-affirming medical care. Donald Trump banned trans people from joining the military and required passports to match biological sex at birth.
The college said in a statement that it has received notice of the Title IX investigation.
“The College is fully committed to its institutional values, including compliance with civil rights laws,” the statement said. “The College does not comment on pending government investigations.”
A rightwing education group, Defending Education, filed a complaint in June 2025 to the education department’s office of civil rights against Smith, urging the department to investigate the college. The group goes after schools and teachers unions nationwide over diversity policies and perceived biases, saying it wants to “fight indoctrination in classrooms and on campus”.
“Ironically, in what appears to be yet another exercise in sex discrimination, Smith admits natal men who identify as women but does not admit natal women who identify as men,” Defending Education wrote in its complaint.
The college affirmed in 2015 that its policy would include admitting transgender women, which came after a year of studying the issue and conferring with students and alumni.
“The mission of Smith College is to educate women of promise for lives of distinction. In the years since Smith’s founding, concepts of female identity have evolved. Smith alumnae have been leaders in the movement to afford women greater freedoms of aspiration and self-expression,” the college’s leaders wrote at the time.
Last year, Smith College said it would follow a new policy from the National Collegiate Athletic Association on transgender participation in athletics, which prohibits transgender women from playing in women’s sports.
Q&A
What is the reason behind the investigation of Smith College by the US education department?
The investigation is based on allegations that admitting transgender women violates federal law regarding single-sex institutions.
How does Title IX relate to Smith College's admission of transgender women?
Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in education, but the Trump administration argues that admitting transgender women could disqualify Smith College as a single-sex institution.
What are the implications of the Trump administration's stance on transgender admissions at women's colleges?
The administration's stance raises concerns about privacy and fairness in women's spaces, potentially affecting admissions policies at similar institutions.
