Trump Education Department targets trans and nonbinary students at Smith College

May 13, 2026 - 04:18

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The U.S. Department of Education under President Donald Trump has opened a civil rights investigation into Smith College, targeting the school's policies regarding transgender and nonbinary students. The probe, announced this week, argues that the private women's college may be violating Title IX by admitting students who were assigned male at birth.

Carrie Baker, a professor in the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Program at Smith, pushed back against the federal action. She said the administration is building its case on a fundamental misreading of the law. Title IX, she explained, was originally written to protect people from sex-based discrimination in education, not to police who qualifies as a woman.

Smith College has long admitted transgender women and nonbinary individuals who identify as female. The school maintains that its mission to educate women includes those who face discrimination based on their gender identity. The Trump administration, however, appears to interpret the law in a narrower way, focusing on biological sex as defined at birth.

The investigation is part of a broader pattern. Since returning to office, Trump has signed executive orders rolling back protections for transgender people in schools, sports, and federal programs. The Smith College case could set a precedent for how private institutions define their admissions policies under federal law.

Supporters of the college argue that the investigation threatens academic freedom and the ability of schools to create inclusive environments. Critics of the policy say the federal government is overstepping its authority. Smith has not yet released a formal response to the probe, but faculty members like Baker are speaking out, calling the investigation a political attack disguised as legal enforcement.