Daughters of American Revolution Refuse to Ban Transgender Members
The Daughters of the American Revolution stopped an uprising over transgender membership, rejecting a resolution that would have barred biological male candidates from being admitted to one of the nation’s oldest patriotic organizations. Be sure to click here to get my exclusive breaking news alerts delivered to your smart phone.
The dispute centers on a proposed bylaw amendment backed by members of the Martha Laird Chapter in Texas. The proposal would have defined a woman as “a biological female at conception, having naturally occurring X chromosomes, exclusive of Y chromosomes, and certified as female or girl on the original birth certificate.”
The National Board of Management declined to advance the proposal, concluding it was “not to be suitable for inclusion in the bylaws and not to be in the best interests of the Society.”
The decision has angered a growing coalition of DAR members who argue the organization was founded specifically as a women-only society after women were excluded from the Sons of the American Revolution.
“Today the Daughters of the American Revolution, whose motto is ‘God, Home and Country,’ voted to reject a resolution that seeks to define the word ‘woman’ in our National Bylaws,” DAR member Laura McDonald said in a statement to The Washington Times.
“While admitting men with amended birth certificates is still a violation of the bylaws, I do believe the will of the assembly was heard today,” she said. “We don’t know what the future holds or what God’s plan is, but we do know He has a plan and we trust Him.”
McDonald said the effort is far from over.
“We will continue doing this every year until we at least get a vote at the Continental Congress,” she previously told Fox News Digital. “That’s the only fair and transparent way to handle this.”
A separate grassroots organization, Daughters Advocating for Restoration, says it is dedicated to “restoring, preserving, and promoting women-only membership in historical women-only societies.” The group has organized members from chapters across the country to push for a special meeting later this year to revisit the issue.
DAR leadership has maintained that its policy has not changed. In guidance provided to members, the organization states: “Transgender women have been, and continue to be, eligible for DAR membership. This is not a new policy and was not introduced by the recent bylaw amendments.” The organization further explains, “A transgender woman is not a man; a transgender woman is also not a man simply dressed as a woman. A transgender woman lives and identifies as a woman.”
The controversy has exposed a deep divide within the 190,000-member patriotic organization, with critics arguing the policy departs from the organization’s historic mission as a female-only society, while national leadership insists its longstanding membership policy remains unchanged and complies with its governing bylaws.
Cheering the outcome were members of Daughters for Inclusivity, a countergroup of DAR members in support of “welcoming all women” and the principle that “trans women are women.”
“Thankfully, the Resolution did not pass,” said Joy Abshire Laws on the Daughters for Inclusivity page on Facebook. “There is no place for discrimination in the Daughters of the American Revolution. Thank you to the delegates who persevered through a long and grueling vote and chose a path of inclusion, respect, and unity. Now it’s time to move forward together.”
Teagan Livingston, a self-described “trans daughter,” also thanked members for defeating the proposal, saying on Facebook that “I’m over the moon grateful for DAR and the wonderful daughters who showed up!”