MAGA’s War on Women’s Studies and Liberal Arts Is a Full-Frontal Assault on Academic Freedom

The Trump-era crackdown on higher education has moved from rhetoric to ruthless action. Under the guise of rooting out “wokeness,” federal and state officials are mounting a sweeping attack on women’s studies, transgender rights, and the very core values of liberal arts colleges.

This week, Smith College found itself in the crosshairs when the Department of Education launched a civil rights probe into its policy of admitting transgender women. The investigation, triggered by a complaint from a conservative group, challenges whether a women’s college can legally include trans women without violating Title IX. This is not an isolated incident but part of a broader effort to redefine civil rights protections to exclude transgender people and pressure colleges into compliance with a reactionary agenda.

Meanwhile, in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis orchestrated a hostile takeover of New College of Florida, installing a conservative board packed with activists like Christopher Rufo, the architect of the anti-“critical race theory” crusade. The new leadership swiftly dismantled the gender studies program, fired the president, and trashed hundreds of books—actions that civil liberties advocates rightly denounce as political censorship and an existential threat to academic freedom.

DeSantis’ team openly celebrated the destruction of scholarship, framing it as reclaiming education from “zealots.” They also rebranded the college’s identity and shifted admissions to favor more male students, signaling a deliberate ideological overhaul.

These moves echo the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 blueprint, which calls for politicizing education and dismantling institutions that challenge authoritarian narratives. The assault on feminist and queer scholarship is not just about culture wars; it’s a direct attack on democratic values and the free exchange of ideas.

The targeting of liberal arts colleges like Hampshire and New College amid financial and political pressure reflects a growing devaluation of critical inquiry. But this is about more than budgets—it’s about silencing voices that question power and expose injustice.

We will not stand by as education becomes a battleground for authoritarian control. The fight for academic freedom and civil rights on campus is a fight for democracy itself.