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ARTICLE · 22 JULY 2026

Office For Civil Rights Opens Title IX Investigation Into Smith College

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The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has launched a Title IX investigation into Smith College's policy of admitting transgender women and providing them access to campus facilities designated for women. This investigation represents a significant shift in federal civil rights enforcement under the Trump Administration's interpretation that Title IX protections are based on biological sex rather than gender identity.

United StatesConsumer Protection
Patrick F. Linehan
Patrick F. Linehan
Ryan P. Poscablo
Ryan P. Poscablo
Alex Wolf
Alex Wolf
Rachael K. Cox
Rachael K. Cox
Jayla Dill
Jayla Dill

Introduction

On May 4, the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it had opened a Title IX investigation into Smith College, a private liberal arts women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, regarding its practice of admitting transgender women into the school and permitting them access to certain spaces and programs designated for women.1 OCR stated that it is investigating whether Smith violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) by allowing transgender women to attend and access certain campus spaces alongside "biological" women.2 Smith College has declined to comment on the pending investigation but affirmed its commitment to "its institutional values, including compliance with civil rights laws."3

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