MIT “Womxn” Only Physics and Bio Grad Programs Challenged by Equal Protection Project

MIT “Womxn” Only Physics and Bio Grad Programs Challenged by Equal Protection Project

Since the launch of our Equal Protection Project (EqualProtect.org) in February 2023, we have challenged over 265 colleges and universities covering over 730 discriminatory programs and scholarships. In 2025 we went into overdrive, challenging over 540 programs and scholarships year-to-date.

We are finishing strong with civil rights complaints in December 2025 against:

• Almost the entire U. California, California State, and California Community College systems (covering 138 colleges and universities) regarding DACA/”Undocumented” Only programs
• Harvard for a Union Scholars program (run jointly with AFSCME) open only to ‘students of color’,
• Seven Illinois public universities for systematic discrimination in scholarships and programs,
• And today against MIT over two “womxn” only graduate programs in physics and biology.

We already have a stack of new challenges to bring in the new year. You can support our efforts by DONATING before year-end.

Our Civil Rights Complaint filed today against MIT provides in part:

We write to request that the Department of Justice open an investigation into Massachusetts Institute of Technology (“MIT”) regarding two of its officially sponsored student organizations and programs for “womxn”1 — Graduate Womxn in Physics (“GWIP”) and Graduate Womxn in Biology (“gwiBio”)(collectively the “Womxn Programs”), for sex-based discrimination in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”) and its implementing regulations.

1 “Womxn” is a term that denotes “a woman (used, especially in intersectional feminism, as an alternative spelling to avoid the suggestion of sexism perceived in the spelling sequences m-a-n and m-e-n , and to be inclusive of trans women and nonbinary people).” Dictionary.com, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/womxn [https://archive.is/awkDF] (accessed December 12, 2025).

As set forth below, both “womxn” programs discriminate against males. Females automatically are included, but males are included only if they demonstrate additional factors, such as being “transgender” or nonbinary. Female students who identify as female are included, but male students who identify as male are not included. Such differing eligibility standards based on whether one is female or male constitute sex-based discrimination in clear violation of Title IX. Additionally, the way in which the programs are titled and promoted signals that the programs are not for males, which itself is a violation of Title IX.

We then go through each program, noting the benefits — such as career advancement and travel funding — provided only to “womxn.” With regard to the biology program, we address a sentence on MIT’s website saying that program is open to all, noting such wordsmithing is not legally sufficient:

gwiBio discriminates against males in much the same way as the Graduate Womxn In Physics program, because females are automatically eligible, but males need to show an additional factor such as being “transgender” or nonbinary. The program also signals that it is an exclusive club for non-male students. Its name—“Graduate Womxn in Biology”—signals this restriction, defining “womxn” to include “womxn-identifying, transgender, and non-binary individuals.” Although gwiBio states that its events are “open and welcome to everyone,” the promotion, structure and operation of the program signals and implements discrimination against males and in favor of womxn.

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It makes no difference that MIT attempts to cover its tracks by inserting that events for gwiBio are open to all. In its July 2025 guidance, the Department of Justice made clear that recipients of federal funds may not engage in discrimination based on protected characteristics while attempting to insulate such conduct through facially neutral claims that a program is “open to all.” DOJ explained that programs whose structure, eligibility criteria, or implementation segregate or exclude individuals based on protected traits remain unlawful notwithstanding inclusive labels.14

The NY Post covered the filing in an article that has been on the homepage all day (and remains there as of this writing), a sign that it must be doing well because the NY Post would move it off the homepage quickly if it wasn’t getting traction and a reaction.

The prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was the target of a federal civil rights complaint filed Monday over two student organizations catering to “Graduate Womxn.”

The Equal Protection Project charged that the university-sponsored student organizations “Graduate Womxn in Physics” and “Graduate Womxn in Biology” flout Title IX, which bars sex-based discrimination in educational opportunities at institutions that receive federal funding.

“The Womxn Programs discriminate on the basis of sex because eligibility is conditioned on whether an individual is male or female, notwithstanding the use of gender-identity terminology,” read the complaint to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division….

“The situation may be more serious than we even know. The situation may involve other programs that we don’t know about, so we would hope that the Department of Justice would open an investigation,” William Jacobson, president and founder of the Equal Protection Project, told The Post.

The complaint cited promotional material, including the websites for the two groups, which stressed that they were open to “transgender women, cisgender women, non-binary people, and gender diverse physics graduate students,” in the case of the “Graduate Womxn in Physics” group.

Notably, Graduate Womxn in Biology states that its events are “welcoming to everyone” and “you do not need to be a graduate student or womxn-identifying to attend and participate.”

But Jacobson argued that isn’t enough to cover their anti-discrimination bases.

“You can’t escape Title IX liability or Title VI liability, if it was race-based, by simply tossing in a sentence which says, ‘Disregard everything we just said, this is actually open to everybody,’” he contended. “That’s called signaling.”

“There’s case law that we cite in the complaint, that if you signal that something is open only to one sort of group, [other groups] will not apply,” he added….

Jacobson’s group previously filed a complaint against MIT to the Department of Education about a program that was specific to women of color.

“We circle back all the time,” Jacobson explained about the origins of his group’s latest complaint against the Cambridge, Mass., institution.

The Daily Caller also covered the case:

“Such differing eligibility standards based on whether one is male or female constitute sex-based discrimination in clear violation of Title IX. Additionally, the way in which the programs are titled and promoted signals that the programs are not for males, which itself is a violation of Title IX,” the same complaint alleges….

According to the same complaint, the term “womxn” signals sex-based preferences, and the two MIT programs fall within prohibited practices outlined in a July 2025 memorandum from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi providing guidance for recipients of federal funding regarding unlawful discrimination. The memorandum states that entities receiving federal funds cannot discriminate based on factors such as sex, race, religion, or other protected characteristics.

Reminder: we are a small organization going up against powerful and wealthy government and private institutions devoted to DEI discrimination. Donations are greatly needed and appreciated.

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