Government Targets Smith College For Admitting Trans Students
U.S. Department of Education opens Title IX Investigation into historically women’s Smith College for admitting what they call “men.”
Featured Images: via Lorelei Erisis Instagram
On Monday, May 4, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened an investigation into Smith College, a historically women’s college based in Northampton, Massachusetts. The offense: “admitting biological men and granting them access to women-only spaces, including dormitories, bathrooms, locker rooms, and athletic teams.”
The investigation will purportedly determine whether the college violated Title IX, per OCR’s press release, “by allowing biological males into women’s intimate spaces.”
OCR states that 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.”
In full disclosure, this writer is the mother of a 2025 Smith College graduate who had the opportunity to see first-hand, how students across the spectrum of gender identity were welcomed—and in fact, embraced at Smith.
“Trans women are women, and they absolutely belong at Smith,” says Liliana Hetherman, Smith College Class of 2025. “Smith has always been a place that’s welcoming of people of all identities. It’s one of the main things the institution is known for. I’ve never heard any Smith student express even a bit of discomfort towards the presence of trans students on campus. Trans identities are celebrated and valued.”
While Smith College does not comment on pending government investigations, the college has assured students, faculty, and staff, per emailed communication: “… we recognize that this development is very difficult for our community… The College remains fully committed to our institutional mission and values, including compliance with civil rights laws.” Recognizing that this development is very difficult for the Smith community, the College is offering mental health support and other resources.
The mood on campus is one of robust solidarity. Students have chalked messages of support on sidewalks, as well as images of the transgender pride flag in front of campus buildings.
“I spent a few minutes this morning walking around the Smith College Campus,” writer and “proud queer trans woman” Lorelei Erisis shared on Instagram. “I was in a pretty bleak mood, but found my spirit somewhat lifted by what I saw.”
One respondent, a poet, wrote, “Thank you for sharing this! I’ve been feeling so angry, frustrated, depressed about this and seeing this support really helps. May Smith stay strong for its trans students!!!!!”
Smith College has opened its doors to trans women since 2015.
“The board’s decision affirms Smith’s unwavering mission and identity as a women’s college, our commitment to representing the diversity of women’s lived experiences, and the college’s exceptional role in the advancement of women worldwide,” Smith said in a statement on May 2, 2015. “Our clarified admission policy reflects a women’s college that is steadfast in its founding mission yet evolving to reflect a changing world.”
The news of the Trump administration’s probe should come as no surprise, given the relentless wave of legislative activities – at both federal and state levels – which have had trans individuals in the cross-hairs. A legal battle will no doubt follow, as it has in many similar cases—part of a broader pattern of institutional actions advancing at high velocity, often backed by well-funded right-wing legal advocacy groups intent on pushing trans people out of public life.
Multiple legal battles concerning trans participation in sports have been waged and buoyed by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). In the current matter of Smith College, the probe follows a 2025 complaint launched by Defending Education, a conservative group that accuses Smith of violating federal sex discrimination law.
It should be noted that Smith College is often described as a “historically women’s college” (HW). The university also admits men at the graduate level. The government, in its quest to wipe trans people off the map, appears to be taking the liberty to interpret the make-up of a student body that has already distinguished itself from being purely a “women’s college.” Furthermore, it appears to intend to now dictate the composition of the student body at Smith.
Whether described as a “women’s” or “historically women’s” college, the voluntary association of students, faculty, and other stakeholders reflects a community that values trans inclusion.
Those affiliated with Smith College can attest to the enduring power of the sentiments expressed back in 2015, when Smith expanded its admission policy to include self-identified transgender women:
“The mission of Smith College is to educate women of promise for lives of distinction. In the years since Smith’s founding, concepts of female identity have evolved. Smith alumnae have been leaders in the movement to afford women greater freedoms of aspiration and self-expression. At the same time, educational settings in which women are central remain powerfully transformative.”
