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The U.S. Department of Education announced that its Office for Civil Rights has launched a probe into Smith College for admitting men into the women’s educational institution, allowing them into women-only areas such as restrooms.
“Today, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened an investigation into Smith College, one of the nation’s largest all-women’s colleges, for admitting biological men and granting them access to women-only spaces, including dormitories, bathrooms, locker rooms, and athletic teams,” the department said in a statement Monday. “OCR will determine whether the college violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) by allowing biological males into women’s intimate spaces.”
“Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance,” the department explained. “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. An all-girls college that enrolls male students professing a female identity would cease to qualify as single sex under Title IX.”
President Donald Trump holding up a signed executive order while posing with Education Secretary Linda McMahon at the White House on March 20, 2025. (Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
While the institution describes itself as a “women’s college,” the school “considers for admission any applicants who self-identify as women,” explaining that, “cis, trans, and nonbinary women are eligible to apply to Smith.”
A Department of Education sign is displayed outside their federal student aid office on May 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
“Smith College has received notice that the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened a Title IX investigation into the College,” the school said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “The College is fully committed to its institutional values, including compliance with civil rights laws. The College does not comment on pending government investigations.”
Smith College is located in the state of Massachusetts.
“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.
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Smith College campus, a women’s liberal arts college. (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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“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,” Richey noted.
