WASHINGTON, D.C. – Independent Women’s Forum is thrilled to announce the launch of IW Features, a new storytelling platform dedicated to providing unique and personal insights into the biggest issues facing Americans today through grassroots storytelling and original journalism. Whether it’s exposing the harms of radical gender ideology on women and children, blowing the whistle on men infiltrating women’s prisons, growing a movement of voices who demand the end to sex discrimination in women’s sports, sounding the alarm on the job-killing impacts of overregulation, exposing a broken healthcare system, or underlining the reasons teachers are fleeing unions, IW Features will amplify real voices and authentic stories of those impacted by policy decisions.
With content publishing regularly both in written and video formats, IW Features brings powerful first-hand testimonies to the forefront and connects the dots to explain how public policy impacts Americans and their loved ones. By sharing these accounts, IW Features seeks to positively influence public policy and foster more civil, compassionate, and productive debates.
IW Features is also proud to promote the work of ambassadors, including through written profiles, op-eds, documentaries, and other video assets, speaking engagements with local groups, media interviews and references, and social media and digital marketing efforts.
Independent Women’s Forum a ambassadors are our storytellers from IW Features who champion a policy issue area by continuing to tell their story and advocate for change. Ambassadors may not always represent the official position of IW Features or Independent Women’s Forum, but their voices are highlighted because of their valuable experiences, knowledge, and perspectives.
The new website features an interactive map, as seen below, showcasing the states where the stories IW Features tell originate. Stories are also organized by series and topics.
Kelsey Bolar, Independent Women’s Forum storytelling director and now the director of IW Features, said: “IW Features is the culmination of years of investment that Independent Women’s Forum has made in the storytelling space. We understand that personal stories have a unique ability to connect and inspire change. By creating a vibrant new platform to feature the documentary videos, written stories, and podcasts all in one place, and by creating an ambassador program for us to continue working with IW Features storytellers in new capacities, we are making a commitment to ensuring the voices of real Americans are heard. Independent Women’s Forum has a proven reputation in producing high-quality, educational, and entertaining content, and now, we have a beautiful, user-friendly website to feature it—free for anyone who wants to consume and share.”
Bolar, who will be leading IW Features content, has been the executive producer of many of the series driving the organization’s storytelling work, which has been nationally recognized for exposing harmful policies and propelling policy change.
Upon its launch, IW Features tells the story of New York City officials opening a 400-bed male migrant shelter just steps away from a K-12 school. IW Features tells the story through the lens of Irina Edelstein, a Brooklyn mom and legal immigrant, who warns of the dangers of the Biden-Harris administration’s self-made border crisis.
In the short documentary, Edelstein says, “I know there are many newcomers who are here to start a better life. But it only takes one person to do something stupid for everybody to regret this decision… and that’s the chance I don’t want to take.”
“I absolutely enjoyed working with the IW Features crew. They toured and filmed in my neighborhood and visited my workplace and the facility where my children attend school –– which was a delightful experience,” Edelstein said about her experience. “I felt genuinely encouraged to share my personal story and concerns about migrant-related crises with such an outstanding team. My hope is to inspire more New York City residents, particularly parents, to speak out for the sake of our communities and children.”
Ambassadors for Independent Women’s Forum applaud the launch of IW Features:
Kim Russell, former head women’s lacrosse coach at Oberlin College, said: “Why IW Features? They share TRUTH. You will feel deeply as you read, listen, and watch testimonials and facts from real people. IW Features gives those of us who have been silenced and canceled a platform to be heard and seen, speaking the TRUTH that most media is afraid to touch.” Independent Women’s Forum broke Kim Russell’s story in August 2023 through its female athlete storytelling efforts. Kim’s story has been featured in national publications, including The Daily Mail, Fox News, and National Review. Russell has appeared before Congress for witness testimony, policy roundtables, and press conferences.
Prisha Mosley, 26-year-old female detransitioner, said: “I’m grateful for the women I’m working with at Independent Women’s Forum. Trans rights activists like to accuse me of being coerced by the Right into my activism, but it’s quite the opposite. The women at Independent Women’s Forum have been willing to listen to me just as I am. Kelsey Bolar was the first journalist I trusted to tell my story, and she helped me tell my story outside of my own videos of my unfolding detransition. I’ve been in good hands ever since. I won’t stop talking. I trust Independent Women’s Forum to keep listening.” As part of its Identity Crisis series exposing the harms of radical gender ideology, Independent Women’s Forum broke Prisha Mosley’s detransition story in December 2022 and, most recently, shared her pregnancy story. Prisha’s story has been featured in national media, including The Megyn Kelly Show, The Washington Post, and Fox News. Prisha has testified before state legislatures across the country.
Amie Ichikawa, former inmate at Central California Women’s Facility and Woman II Woman founder, said: “Working with Kelsey and Andrea [Mew] on the storytelling projects has been nothing short of amazing. Being part of such a strong and dedicated team has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Seeing all of our hard work come to life through the profiles and the docu-series is truly restoring lost voices.” Amie Ichikawa is closely involved in Independent Women’s Forum’s series, Cruel & Unusual Punishment: The Male Takeover of Female Prisons, exposing the fallout of policies that open women’s prisons to male offenders, as told by female inmates, along with insiders and whistleblowers from the correctional world. Amie Ichikawa’s story was featured in the series earlier this year. Amie has since been featured in The New York Post, The Megyn Kelly Show, and Fox News Channel, and during the Senate Judiciary vote on Biden judicial nominee Sarah Netburn, multiple senators cited her letter in opposing the radical nominee, who found a constitutional right for a male serial rapist to be housed in a women’s prison because the male “identified” as a woman.
BACKGROUND: IWF’S STORYTELLING
IW Features, a project of Independent Women’s Forum, will continue to elevate stories spanning a variety of public policy arenas — from gender ideology to healthcare price transparency to barriers to work and entrepreneurship — in written profiles, documentaries, and podcast form. Some examples of series currently on IW Features:
- The Identity Crisis series features 12 short documentaries from detransitioners, experts, and parents fighting to protect their children and teens from the irreversible harms of gender ideology. The series broke the stories of detransitioners, including Prisha Mosley, Cristina Hineman, Jeannette Cooper, and Isabelle Ayala.
- Cruel & Unusual Punishment: The Male Takeover of Female Prisons, is another short documentary series that highlights the consequences of policies such as California’s SB 132, which allows male inmates to reside in women’s prisons. The series has featured former inmate Amie Ichikawa, along with current inmates Alissa Kamholz, Tomiekia Johnson, and Dana Gray.
- Female Athlete Stories, part of the men in women’s spaces campaign, provides a platform for athletes, coaches, and parents to share their stories about males competing in women’s sports. The series has featured IWF ambassadors Riley Gaines, Paula Scanlan, Payton McNabb, and Kim Russell, as well as golfers Lauren Miller and Amy Olson.
- Healthcare Stories share examples of real patients and families who were negatively impacted by the American healthcare system, including Anna Anthony, who skipped meals to afford a medical bill that a hospital did not disclose, and mother Amanda Partee-Manders, who received a shocking $47,000 medical bill after undergoing a C-section.
- Economic Opportunity stories deeply dive into real workers impacted by job-killing regulations such as California’s Assembly Bill 5, a law that imposed some of the most significant restrictions on independent contractors in American history. Stories featured in the Chasing Work series include those of long-time freelancer Karen Anderson, florist and business owner Monica Wyman, and ASL interpreter Sophia Aguirre.
- Education Stories focus on school choice and feature stories from both parents and teachers. One recent story is that of long-time New Mexico resident Rachael Hein, who moved her family out of the state after several concerning incidents caused her to lose faith in their public school district—including the installation of “trans closets.”
- Unfairly Canceled Stories highlights real people who are silenced for speaking out, including Harvard economics professor Roland Fryer, Jr. and chairwoman of the Monroe County, Pennsylvania, chapter of Moms for Liberty, Nicole Prussman.
- Dissident Stories highlights the fight for international women’s rights, such as that of Iranian immigrant Tahmineh Dehbozorgi and North Korean immigrant Grace Jo.
