Did This Women’s College Violate Title IX by Admitting Men? Department of Education Is Investigating
6th May 2026
The Department of Education opened an investigation into Smith College, probing whether the women’s college discriminated on the basis of sex by admitting men who claim to identify as transgender women.
“Smith College, while still portraying itself as a women’s-only institution, admits natal men who feel like women, and on nothing more than their say-so,” Sarah Parshall Perry, vice president and legal fellow at Defending Education, told The Daily Signal in a Tuesday statement on the investigation. “That renders the gains of second-wave feminists who fought for Title IX mere relics of ancient history.”
“Title IX was a historic achievement for women’s equality in education, but Smith College seems to have forgotten that,” added Perry, who filed the complaint that led the department to open the probe.
“The college’s linguistic gymnastics are jaw-dropping, and as a recipient of federal funding, it must follow federal law—state law to the contrary notwithstanding,” she added. “We look forward to the Department of Education’s resolution of the claims against Smith.”