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An article by [[Sally Patel]] in The IWF's originally grew out of a group called "scholarly" magazine, ''The Women's Quarterly''for Clarence Thomas, stated that "formed to support Clarence Thomas, then a nominee for the battered women's movement has outlived its useful beginningsU.S. Supreme Court, against allegations of sexual harassment."<ref>Sally PatelInstitute for Policy Studies, [http://batteredmenrightweb.comirc-online.org/profile/satel.htm "ItIndependent_Womens_Forum Independent Women's Always His Fault: Femininist Ideology Dominates Perpetrator Programs"Forum], The organization profile, accessed July 10, 2014.</ref><ref name="slate"/>. It has vocally opposed the Violence Against WomenAct. In an editorial, the ''New York Times's Quarterly, Independent Women's Forum, Summer 1997 called the IWF "a right- Number 12wing public policy group that provides pseudofeminist support for extreme positions that are in fact dangerous to women."<ref name="times trotter"/ref>
adding to intro, moving battered women info to VAWA section
{{#badges: Koch Exposed}}
The '''Independent Women's Forum''' (IWF; ''not to be confused with the [[International Women's Forum]]'') is an anti-feminist organization predominately funded by right-wing foundations, including the [[Sarah Scaife Foundation]], the [[Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation]], and the [[Koch brothers]]' [[Claude R. Lambe Foundation]].<ref name="funding"/> On its website, it describes its mission as being "to rebuild civil society by advancing economic liberty, personal responsibility, and political freedom. IWF builds support for a greater respect for limited government, equality under the law, property rights, free markets, strong families, and a powerful and effective national defense and foreign policy."<ref>[http://www.iwf.org/about/ "Our Mission"], Independent Women's Forum, accessed February 2008.</ref>
From 2003-2008, IWF was affiliated with the [[Koch brothers]]-backed [[Americans for Prosperity]].<ref name="Partnership">Independent Women's Forum, [http://web.archive.org/web/20031119043957/http://iwf.org/news/031028a.shtml "IWF Announces Exciting New Partnership"], Media Release, October 28, 2003. (This is a copy archived in the Internet Archive, accessed March 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.desmogblog.com/americans-prosperity-history-research-background-funding Americans for Prosperity - research and background information], ''DeSmog Blog'', accessed February 2013.</ref>
:"Calling guns “the great equalizer,” Trotter said women need firearms to protect themselves against male attackers. “An assault weapon in the hands of a young woman defending her babies in her home becomes a defense weapon,” Trotter said. “And the peace of mind she has…knowing she has a scary-looking gun gives her more courage when she’s fighting hardened violent criminals.”<ref name="dickson">Caitlin Dickson, "[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/07/gayle-trotter-the-woman-who-called-gun-control-sexist.html Gayle Trotter: The Woman Who Called Gun Control Sexist]," ''The Daily Beast'', February 7, 2013. Accessed July 9, 2014.</ref>
Trotter's testimony provoked strong reactions, with many critics citing research that suggests the presence of guns in the home often correlates with a greater likelihood that women and children will be injured or killed. A ''New York Times'' editorial wrote that it marked "an absurd low point" in the debate over gun violence in the U.S., adding that "[i]n domestic violence situations, the risk of homicide for women increased eightfold when the abuser had access to firearms, according to a study published in The American Journal of Public Health in 2003." The ''Times'' editors also noted that the IWF had opposed the Violence Against Women Act in 1994.<refname="times trotter">Editorial, "[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/opinion/sunday/dangerous-gun-myths.html Dangerous Gun Myths]," ''New York Times'', February 2, 2013. Accessed July 10, 2014.</ref> ''The Nation'' added Trotter's statement to its list of "Timeless Whoppers."<ref>[http://www.thenation.com/timeless-whoppers-gayle-trotter Timeless Whoppers: Gayle Trotter]," ''The Nation'', February 2013. Accessed July 10, 2014.</ref> In ''Slate'', feminist activists Amanda Marcotte wrote, "The conservative claim, made by Trotter, that guns are an "equalizer" is about as serious a misrepresentation as you can muster when it comes to violence against women. Most violence against women is perpetrated by men the victim knows in situations that are intimate or social, where guns aren't usually out."<refname="slate">Amanda Marcotte, "[http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/01/30/gayle_trotter_s_fantasies_of_fighting_off_violent_men_don_t_have_anything.html Gayle Trotter's Ideas Will Not Keep Women Safe]," ''Slate'', January 30, 2013. Accessed July 10, 2014.</ref>
Trotter defended her testimony in an e-mail to the ''Daily Beast'', writing,
IWF has regularly opposed VAWA, including during a fight to reauthorize the Act in March 2013. "What concerns us most is VAWA includes no provisions for financial oversight, views violence more through an ideological lens than a practical one, erodes constitutional rights of the accused, and perpetuates the idea that society is hostile to women," Charlotte Hays of the Independent Women's Forum, said in a statement" at the time, according to the ''Washington Post''.<ref>Suzy Khimm, "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/03/01/the-violence-against-women-act-out-of-the-fire-into-the-sequester/ The Violence Against Women Act: Out of the fire, into the sequester]," ''Washington Post'', March 1, 2013. Accessed July 9, 2014.</ref>
An article by [[Sally Patel]] in IWF's "scholarly" magazine, ''The Women's Quarterly'', stated that "the battered women's movement has outlived its useful beginnings."<ref>Sally Patel, [http://batteredmen.com/satel.htm "It's Always His Fault: Femininist Ideology Dominates Perpetrator Programs"], The Women's Quarterly, Independent Women's Forum, Summer 1997 - Number 12.</ref>
===Defense of Rush Limbaugh===
