The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was founded in 1890 “to promote Historic Preservation, Education, and Patriotism across the United States.” According to its website, it does not consider itself a political group, and it states that “any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution, is eligible for membership.” However, a recent decision from the DAR seems to contradict both of those statements.

A DAR chapter in Texas recently sent a letter to its national leadership pushing back against their decision to allow biological men who identify as transgender to participate in the DAR. On Saturday, however, the DAR National Board of Management (NBOM) rejected the proposal. In an email sent to the Texas chapter, they were informed that NBOM “found the proposed amendment” to bar trans-identifying men from the DAR “not to be suitable for inclusion in the bylaws and not to be in the best interest of the Society.”

“The board rejected the proposed amendments in their entirety,” the email added. In response to the decision, Martha Laird Chapter Recording Secretary Laura McDonald told The Daily Wire, “The rejection of our proposal to define a woman in our bylaws from the National Board of Management sadly confirms what we knew all along. That is a political stance the leadership is taking.”

McDonald went on to explain that there is “another proposal ready” that will be voted on in March” with “slightly tweaked” language “to accommodate the concerns the NBM addressed in their rejection letter. … Our goal is to restore our iconic, historic and once prestigious American institution founded by women, for women, and we intend to see it through.”

The Center for American Liberty (CAL), the group helping the Texas Martha Laird Chapter, also responded to the vote from NBOM. On X, they shared this statement from CAL Executive Director Mark Trammell:

“We are deeply disappointed that the DAR voted today to disregard the women who founded this historic organization and those who continue to find belonging within its ranks. Instead, the organization has chosen to bow to political pressures, despite the strong legal protections in place. The DAR has always been a women’s organization, distinct from the Sons of the American Revolution, which already exists to honor the men of the American Revolution. It’s hypocritical and unacceptable.”

Several in the comment section expressed their disappointment in NBOM’s decision. One user wrote, “I’m utterly disgusted by their decision. The leadership has ruined our once great [S]ociety.” A different user stated that “males can’t be ‘Daughters’ because they’re.... MALE.” Another explained, “I had held onto … hope but resigned my committee appointment at the State level as soon as I heard the news today. It’s clear our leadership has turned away from what’s good and right. @TodaysDAR is a disgrace.”

It turns out the DAR has been allowing trans-identifying men to partake in the women’s organization going back to 2023. The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles had exposed the reality that “Sexually confused men are invading yet another women’s group” on X last year. He highlighted an internal DAR FAQ document that stated, “Members are expected to pretend that ‘transgender women’ have always been eligible and that their inclusion took place ‘organically,’ as if implicit in bylaws written before ‘transgenderism’ was even thought to exist.”

After the DAR received more pushback on the issue, a Facebook post surfaced detailing the fact that, allegedly, the organization claimed it would risk losing its nonprofit status if it did not allow “men who submit an altered birth certificate indicating they are female to be eligible members.” The post added, “Our hope is that once members and the NBOM can feel confident that our nonprofit status is not in jeopardy, they will no longer feel intimidated and vote to allow this bylaw amendment to be heard at Continental Congress.”

Laura McDonald and her chapter have consistently fought to challenge the organization’s decision to allow trans-identifying men to participate. As McDonald, told DW last month, “Everybody is realizing that this trans ideology, this agenda to have men infiltrate women’s spaces, is starting to not be popular anymore, and it’s not as accepted.” She concluded by declaring that they “will continue doing this every year until we at least get a vote at the Continental Congress. That’s the only fair and transparent way to handle this.”