Women’s College Faces Federal Inquiry for Admitting Males Identifying as Transgender

The U.S. Department of Education is investigating one of the nation’s largest all-women’s colleges for admitting male students and giving them access to dormitories, restrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams.

The department’s Office of Civil Rights opened its investigation into those alleged Title IX violations at Smith College on May 4, federal officials announced. An exception to the 1972 law allows for single-sex student bodies—all-male or all-female—based on biological sex differences, not “subjective gender identity.”

“An all-women’s college loses all meaning if it is admitting biological males,” Kimberly Richey, the Department of Education’s assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a May 4 news release.

“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.”

Under Title IX provisions, the federal government can withhold funding from Smith College if it does not restrict males from attending Smith College.

Smith College, based in Northampton, Massachusetts, is a private liberal arts institution dating back to 1871. It enrolls more than 2,500 students from the United States and 68 other countries. In athletics, it competes at the NCAA Division III level. The women’s basketball team reached the national finals in 2024, according to the school’s website. Its notice of non-discrimination includes the term “gender identity and expression.”

The college, on its equity and inclusion webpage, has a link to the Transgender Law Center, which has litigated against schools, state governments, and health care facilities, and states its support for transgender participation in sports.

This investigation was prompted by a June complaint from the Defending Education organization, which opposes DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives and transgender ideology in both K-12 and higher education. The Department of Education informed Defending Education of the investigation on May 4.

Defending Education interviewed Smith College students and parents who support the organization’s position. It reviewed student application forms, which allowed for “gender identity and expression,” and also found that the school was giving spots to males identifying as transgender “that would have otherwise gone to biological women.”

Additionally, Defending Education’s complaint said, restrooms and locker rooms on the campus are labeled as “all-gender,” and the wellness center provides “trans-affirming primary care.”

The college also allegedly “threatens to investigate and/or punish students who disagree with the college’s unlawful policies on gender identity and sex,” according to Defending Education’s complaint.

The Epoch Times reached out to Smith College.