Tipsheet

Smith College Faces Title IX Investigation for Admitting Trans Women

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  May 05, 2026 9:00 AM

Smith College, an all-women's college in Massachusetts, is facing a civil rights investigation after admitting men. The Department of Education launched the investigation after the institution said it "considers for admission any applicants who self-identify as women; cis, trans, and nonbinary women are eligible" to apply under the college's policies.

Here's more:

In a Monday statement, the Department of Education said it was investigating Smith for “admitting biological men and granting them access to women-only spaces, including dormitories, bathrooms, locker rooms, and athletic teams.”

The term “biological men,” though often used by opponents of trans rights to describe trans women, is not commonly used by trans people.

Smith College told CNN it “is fully committed to its institutional values, including compliance with civil rights laws” and “does not comment on pending government investigations.”

The Education Department says it’s investigating whether the college’s policy violates Title IX, a landmark federal civil rights law that bans sex-based discrimination in any school or other education program that receives federal funding.

“Title IX contains a single-sex exception that allows colleges to enroll all-male or all-female student bodies—but the exception applies on the basis of biological sex difference, not subjective gender identity,” reads the statement. “An all-girls college that enrolls male students professing a female identity would cease to qualify as single sex under Title IX.”

Trans women, of course, are men.

This, too.

Correct. It is a co-ed college then.

Yes, they did, frankly.

We cannot.