Historic Women’s College Faces Government Investigation For Admitting Trans Students

Smith College is facing a authorities investigation for admitting transgender students to nan historical women’s institution.

President Donald Trump’s Department of Education announced Monday it has opened a probe into nan Massachusetts assemblage for allowing trans women to enroll and person entree to women-only spaces specified arsenic dorms and bathrooms.

The DOE’s Office for Civil Rights will find whether Smith College violated Title IX, a national rule that prohibits activity discrimination, astatine acquisition institutions that person authorities funding.

“An all-women’s assemblage loses each meaning if it is admitting biologic males,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said successful a statement.

“Allowing biologic males into spaces designed for women raises superior concerns astir privacy, fairness, and compliance nether national law. The Trump Administration will proceed to uphold nan rule and conflict to reconstruct communal sense,” nan DOE charismatic said.

Women’s colleges, specified arsenic Smith College, and men’s colleges are allowed to run nether a single-sex objection to Title IX. There were astir 230 women’s colleges successful 1960, which dwindled to conscionable 30 successful 2023, according to nan Women’s College Coalition.

The DOE is arguing that nan single-sex objection “applies connected nan ground of biologic activity difference, not subjective gender identity,” according to its connection Monday.

“An all-girls assemblage that enrolls antheral students professing a female personality would cease to suffice arsenic azygous activity nether Title IX,” nan merchandise read.

Smith College told The Independent that it had been notified that nan DOE has opened a Title IX investigation into nan institution and that it does not remark connected pending national probes.

“The College is afloat committed to its organization values, including compliance pinch civilian authorities laws,” Smith College said.

Smith College first announced that it would let transgender women to enroll much than a decade ago.

“The board’s determination affirms Smith’s unwavering ngo and personality arsenic a women’s college, our committedness to representing nan diverseness of women’s lived experiences, and nan college’s exceptional domiciled successful nan advancement of women worldwide,” Smith College said successful a connection successful 2015, according to The Washington Post.

“Our clarified admittance argumentation reflects a women’s assemblage that is patient successful its founding ngo yet evolving to bespeak a changing world,” nan connection continued.

The probe into Smith College stems from a June 2025 title revenge by nan blimpish ineligible statement Defending Education.

“We’re gratified that they person an unfastened investigation into it,” Nicole Neily, president of Defending Education, said successful a connection shared by Politico.

“I judge very powerfully successful nan value of single-sex spaces, beryllium it a boys campy aliases an all-women’s college. And really Smith College has been addressing nan rumor of gender, to me, is very troubling,” Neily said.

Trump has often spread anti-trans rhetoric, claiming Democrats want “transgender for everybody.”

After he returned to nan White House, Trump declared that it was national argumentation that location were only 2 sexes — antheral and female. The president besides signed an executive bid seeking to prohibition trans women and girls from competing successful women’s sports successful February 2025.

The Biden management had expanded Title IX to see rules to protect LGBTQ+ students better, but they were struck down by a national judge successful January 2025. U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves successful Kentucky recovered nan caller rules overstepped erstwhile President Joe Biden’s authority, nan Associated Press reported astatine nan time.