Meet the Mastermind Behind Trump's Definition of 'Woman'

May Mailman's anti-trans crusade could threaten gender equality for all.

Published on Feb. 5, 2026

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May Mailman, a former Trump administration official and current director of the Independent Women's Forum's law center, has been at the center of an extraordinary effort by the second Trump administration to shape ideas about who and what men and women are. Mailman's work, which began with targeting transgender people, has vast implications for the rights of cisgender people as well, as she and her allies seek to redefine sex discrimination law in a way that could undermine decades of progress fighting sex discrimination.

Why it matters

Mailman's efforts, including her work on the 'Defending Women' executive order, could call into question decades of progress fighting sex discrimination. Differences between men's and women's bodies have historically been used to justify treating women as inferior to men, and Mailman's push to enshrine a narrow biological definition of sex could open the door to more such discrimination.

The details

Mailman, who worked in the first Trump administration and later joined the Independent Women's Forum, has been a key figure in the conservative movement's push to target transgender people and redefine sex discrimination law. She has advocated for model legislation known as the Women's Bill of Rights, which seeks to enshrine narrow definitions of 'male' and 'female' into law. Mailman's allies, like the Alliance Defending Freedom, have their own agenda of replacing sex discrimination law with a 'Trojan horse' version that would allow for more differential treatment of men and women.

  • Mailman started working in the Trump administration on day one and stayed until the end.
  • In 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth.

The players

May Mailman

A former Trump administration official and current director of the Independent Women's Forum's law center, who has been a key figure in the conservative movement's push to target transgender people and redefine sex discrimination law.

Clarence Thomas

A Supreme Court nominee in 1991 whose nomination was greeted with liberal outrage and helped define the role of women in American politics.

Rosalie Silberman

The close friend of Clarence Thomas who organized the 'Women for Thomas' campaign during his Supreme Court nomination.

Heather Higgins

The board chair of the Independent Women's Forum, a conservative organization that has sought to influence public policy by presenting itself as a female-led voice.

Kara Dansky

A former board member of the Women's Liberation Front, a left-wing group that has allied with social conservatives in opposing transgender identity.

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What they’re saying

“Simply cementing the case that sex is real doesn't change anything. It is the status quo.”

— May Mailman, Director, Independent Women's Forum Law Center (Mother Jones)

“What they're trying to do is to replace sex discrimination law with a Trojan horse sex discrimination law that no longer prohibits sex discrimination.”

— Mary Ziegler, Legal historian, University of California, Davis (Mother Jones)

“The administration is telling us what their long game is, which is to treat women's bodies as commodities and to create laws to exert control over these commodities.”

— Ting Ting Cheng, Director, Equal Rights Amendment Project, NYU School of Law (Mother Jones)

“Everyone is either female or male. Everything else is a lie.”

— Kara Dansky, Former board member, Women's Liberation Front (Mother Jones)

“They're opening up the possibility of much broader potential exclusions. Such a decision could call into question decades of progress fighting sex discrimination.”

— Kate Shaw, Law professor, University of Pennsylvania (Mother Jones)

What’s next

The Supreme Court is currently considering cases that could enshrine a constitutional definition of sex, with far-reaching implications for gender equality. The court's ruling could call into question decades of progress fighting sex discrimination.

The takeaway

Mailman's efforts, backed by a coalition of conservative and radical feminist groups, seek to redefine sex discrimination law in a way that could undermine hard-won gains for women's rights. This campaign, which began with targeting transgender people, has the potential to threaten gender equality for all.