‘Women-Only’ Smith College Faces Civil Rights Complaint For Admitting Trans Students

Authored by Paris Apodaca via The College Fix,

Smith College, one of just a few dozen women’s colleges in the U.S., is facing a federal civil rights complaint for allegedly discriminating against applicants based on their sex.

The private Massachusetts institution is a “women-only” college, but it “gives spots to ‘self-identifi[ed]’ transgender women that would have otherwise gone to biological women,” according to the complaint by Defending Education.

The education watchdog organization filed the complaint to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights in June, alleging the college’s admissions practices discriminate against women in violation of Title IX. The civil rights law protects citizens against sex-based discrimination while also protecting single-sex spaces.

“We are confident that the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights will investigate the complaint against Smith College,” Erika Sanzi, director of outreach at Defending Education, told The College Fix in a recent interview.

The fact that Smith is a “women-only” college is not a problem; it’s the college’s admissions practices, according to Sanzi’s organization.

“The college’s Equal Education Opportunity Policy indicates that it will follow Title IX and prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in its federally funded programs,” the complaint states.

“The very same policy, however, indicates that Smith interprets Title IX to prohibit ‘gender identity’ discrimination, despite federal case law and this Department’s guidance to the contrary,” it states.

Defending Education argues that Smith’s admissions policies discriminate against women not only by admitting male students in positions meant for females, but also by refusing admission to women who identify as men. 

“Ironically, in what appears to be yet another exercise in sex discrimination, Smith admits natal men who identify as women but does not admit natal women who identify as men,” the complaint states. 

The college’s admissions page website says, “Smith is a women’s college and considers for admission any applicants who self-identify as women; cis, trans, and nonbinary women are eligible to apply to Smith.” 

Additionally, the complaint mentions the college’s “all-gender restroom and locker room policies, which divest female students of their privacy, safety, and equal educational opportunity,” and “appear to violate Title IX.”

“Making matters worse,” the complaint also alleges the college’s Bias Response Team “threatens to investigate and/or punish students” who complain about these policies.  

The team is tasked with investigating incidents including “bigotry, harassment or intimidation” based on, among other things, an individual’s “gender identity” or “gender expression.” 

Smith College’s media relations office did not respond to three requests for comment from The Fix, asking about the complaint and its admissions practices. 

The Department of Education’s media relations office also did not respond to two emails from The Fix asking about the complaint.  

Smith College isn’t the only women’s college to prioritize “gender identity” over sex. According to a 2024 College Fix analysis, 27 of the 30 women’s colleges in the U.S. admit males who identify as females.

When asked about other colleges, Sanzi with Defending Education told The Fix, “If other colleges are engaging in similar discriminatory practices, we hope the Department will scrutinize their policies as well.”

Karin Lips, president of the Network of Enlightened Women, also weighed in on women’s colleges admission policies.

“Women should have the choice of attending a single sex institution. Some women excel in this environment,” Lips told The Fix last week when asked about the issue. 

The admissions problem is a broader issue, Lips pointed out, adding that all women should have the right to participate in single-sex clubs, sports, and school.

“Just as women should have the opportunity to participate in single sex clubs and sports, they should have single sex schools available to them,” she said.

Smith College adopted its admissions policy in 2015 following the case of a transgender applicant in 2013, according to Inside Higher Education.

Calliope Wong, a biological male who identifies as a woman, was denied admission because the sex on Wong’s financial aid form was listed as male. Afterward, Wong gathered 4,000 petition signatures, and the college responded by adopting the new policy, according to the report.

Under the previous policy, only females were admitted.

More recently, during its 147th commencement ceremony in May, the college awarded an honorary degree to Rachel Levine, former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health under President Joe Biden. Levine is a man who identifies as a woman.