Daughters of American Revolution to continue allowing 'transgender' members to join group

The Daughters of the American Revolution voted June 27 to defeat a resolution that would have barred male-born candidates from joining the historic women's patriotic organization, allowing its policy of admitting "transgender women” — men who claim to be women — to stand.

Members of the 135th Continental Congress voted 1,481 to 984 against the measure at Memorial Continental Hall in Washington, according to DAR member Laura McDonald. McDonald is a leader of the group that backed the proposal and treasurer of the DAR's Martha Laird Chapter in Mount Pleasant, Texas.

"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," McDonald said in a statement.

The resolution, introduced by a member faction called Daughters Advocating for Restoration, would have amended the group's bylaws to specify that the term "woman" means someone "born female," explicitly excluding "transgender women" and men who have amended their birth certificates.

DAR President-General Ginnie Sebastian Storage, who opposed the resolution, posted "Thank you all!" after the vote.

Membership in DAR is limited to women 18 and older who are descended from an ancestor who aided the American Revolution. In 2023, the  organization's president-general said that "transgender women" are eligible under the group's nondiscrimination policy. An estimated five male-to-female "transgender" candidates have joined DAR chapters in recent years, spurring thousands of resignations and an internal battle over the organization's membership criteria.

Opponents of the resolution warned during debate that excluding "transgender" members could jeopardize the group's nonprofit and property-tax exempt statuses. Supporters argued that private membership organizations have a First Amendment right to set their own eligibility criteria.

Teagan Livingston, a self-described "'trans' daughter," said on Facebook she was "over the moon grateful for DAR and the wonderful daughters who showed up."

McDonald’s faction had worked for three years to bring the issue to a membership vote.

"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.”

Some members of Daughters Advocating for Restoration said on Facebook they would resign following the vote. Member Debra Maggart urged them to remain. 

"Stay and fight — remember your ancestors didn't give up," Maggart said. "Resigning allows them to win."

The annual assembly ran June 26 through June 29.