Smith College Faces Federal Investigation Over Its Transgender Admissions Policy

The Department of Education on Monday opened an investigation into the all-female college, Smith College, over its policy allowing transgender women to enroll.

The Details: The Department said its Office for Civil Rights will investigate whether Smith College violated Title IX by admitting transgender women and granting them access to women-only spaces, including dormitories, bathrooms, locker rooms and athletic teams. The dispute centers on a Title IX provision that allows private undergraduate colleges to operate as single-sex institutions, which the Department argues applies "on the basis of biological sex difference, not subjective gender identity." Smith College's website states that "any applicants who self-identify as women; cis, trans, and nonbinary women are eligible to apply" to admission.

For Context: Smith College opened in 1875 and describes itself as "among the largest women's colleges in the United States." According to its website, Smith College admits women at the undergraduate level, but admits both men and women as graduate students. The Associated Press (Left bias) reported that the investigation stems from a complaint filed with the Office of Civil Rights in June 2025 by the Defending Education organization. 

From the Left: Outlets on the left generally framed the investigation as the Trump administration further attacking the transgender community. CNN (Lean Left) and Associated Press described the move as the latest move to "limit trans rights." It quoted an LBGTQ rights attorney calling it an "ominous" example of government overreach and saying the administration is "hellbent on eliminating any inclusion of transgender people anywhere in our society." CNN also described the term "biological men" as a term "often used by opponents of trans rights to describe trans women." The Guardian (Left) highlighted claims it was part of "another exercise in sex discrimination" and comes as the "Trump administration seeks to drive transgender people out of public spaces." 

From the Right: The Post Millennial (Right) and the Daily Signal (Right) described transgender women as "biological males" and "men" in their reporting. The Daily Signal quoted an official from Defending Education criticizing Smith College's portrayal of itself as a women-only institution while "admitting natal men who feel like women…on nothing more than their say-so." The official called the college's "linguistic gymnastics" "jaw-dropping," saying that as a recipient of federal funding, it must follow federal law.

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