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One of the nation's largest women's colleges is now under scrutiny by the Trump administration. Smith College in western Massachusetts began admitting transgender women in 2015. This week, the U.S. Education Department announced it would investigate the legality of that practice. From member station WFCR, New England Public Media's Nirvani Williams reports.
NIRVANI WILLIAMS, BYLINE: It's finals week at Smith College, and the walkways across campus are covered with chalk drawings of the transgender pride flag and the phrase, trans Smithies belong.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: As a trans woman in the United States, I don't feel safe at all.
WILLIAMS: This Smith student asked not to be identified because she says she feels targeted under this administration. She says she's still processing the news that her college is under investigation for admitting trans students like her.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: You know, it's just one thing added to the mix of, like, the stressful climate, political climate that we're living in. And we're all just trying to come here to get our degrees, to study.
WILLIAMS: The Trump administration is investigating whether Smith's policy of admitting transgender women violates Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination. Kimberly Richey, the Education Department's assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement, quote, "an all-women's college loses all meaning if it's admitting biological males." She said the practice, quote, "raises serious concerns about privacy, fairness and compliance under federal law."
On an anonymous message board, screenshots of which were shared with NPR, students have been showing their opposition to the investigation with messages like, quote, "trans women belong at Smith, and that shouldn't be a hot take." Smith College said in a statement that it is, quote, "fully committed to its institutional values, including compliance with civil rights laws," and it doesn't "comment on pending government investigations." For NPR News, I'm Nirvani Williams in Northampton, Massachusetts.
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