If the past year has proved anything, it’s that most Americans realize our culture is at an inflection point and are eager for change — and not the kind of radical change pushed by radical progressives.
Instead, much of the country has signaled it wants to return to the values and norms on which our institutions were built: freedom from censorship and government coercion, strong and stable families, active communities, and, perhaps most important, common sense governance.
President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping win in November was the clearest indication of this shift, but the signs have been obvious for quite some time. Those of us at Independent Women can recall countless examples to this effect. This summer, for instance, Independent Women met with hundreds of concerned Americans across 30 states on its Take Back Title IX bus tour. We spoke with mothers, wives, sisters, and everyday Americans who made it clear they were deeply concerned about the encroachment of women’s rights due to the Biden administration’s embrace of leftist gender ideology.
Independent Women made sure their voices were heard — and the results were almost immediate. Even before the tour concluded, Utah’s leaders passed a law preserving sex-based protections for young women, and two federal judges issued separate preliminary injunctions against the Biden administration’s attempt to remove those protections.
This kind of change is only possible when leaders listen to the people they’re supposed to represent. Here at Independent Women, we make sure our federal and state leaders have no other choice. We believe every voice — every story — matters, because it is impossible to ignore the consequences of policymaking when one is forced to see and hear from those directly affected.
That’s why Independent Women launched its own storytelling platform this year: Independent Women Features. From Amie Ichiwaka’s expose on how vulnerable incarcerated women are being forced to live with trans-identifying males, to Karin Majewski’s experience fighting to free public school teachers from the control of teachers’ unions, to Prisha Mosley’s unprecedented journey from detransitioner to mother, to Cristina Hineman’s bold move to hold the transgender industry accountable, IW Features ensured these women’s stories will not be forgotten or ignored.
Again, our efforts in this regard have helped effect real change. For example, shortly after IW Features released its Tee Time series highlighting several professional female golfers who had been forced to compete against a trans-identifying male, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) released new guidance in December reimplementing sex-based eligibility requirements.
As we look toward the new year, IW Features and Independent Women intend to continue leading the charge on these issues and many others. We realize there are many reasons to be optimistic about our country’s direction going into 2025, but the reversal Americans have demanded will not happen overnight — and may not happen at all if our institutions and policymakers no longer feel the pressure to represent the public’s will.
For instance, though several athletic governing bodies, such as the LPGA and USA Cycling, have taken steps to uphold women’s right to fair and safe competition, too many others have not. Most notably, the NCAA still allows trans-identified males to compete against collegiate female athletes despite the demonstrable risk posed to women. NCAA leadership need only consider Payton McNabb’s story, which IW Features published this month, on the permanent injuries she has suffered as a result of having been forced to compete against a male.
We hope stories such as these continue to reach and influence the right people. And we hope those Americans eager to help our country course-correct will join us in making their voices heard. IWFeatures wants to hear from you — and we want your leaders to hear from you as well. Your stories have the power to change the world. Let us share them.
