The historic Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) organization denied a motion by local members to restrict biological males who identify as transgender from joining its ranks over the weekend.
The DAR, which currently allows natal males to join its chapters across the country, has pointed to the policy as a necessity for DAR to maintain its tax-exempt status. A local chapter in Texas challenged that premise with the help of the Center for American Liberty (CAL), but the DAR National Board of Management (NBOM) rejected the proposal to national bylaws in a vote on Saturday.
Laura McDonald, member of the Martha Laird DAR Chapter which proposed the change, told Fox News Digital that she is disappointed, but not discouraged.
"The rejection by the National Board of Management of our proposal to define a woman in our bylaws sadly confirms what we knew all along – that leadership is taking a political stance which is not based on fears of the loss of 501(c)(3) nonprofit status," she said. "We are indebted to The Center for American Liberty for their help in exposing this truth. We will continue fighting for the Truth."
In January, CAL drafted a letter to DAR leadership, arguing that the policy to exclude natal men, including natal men who identify as women, from membership eligibility is both lawful and would not jeopardize the DAR’s status as a tax-exempt nonprofit, according to a memorandum reviewed by Fox News Digital. In September 2024, the Martha Laird Chapter, along with the endorsement of 11 other chapters, submitted a proposed bylaw amendment to prohibit all men, including trans-identifying men, from DAR membership eligibility.
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"A woman is defined 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 proposed bylaw read. "NSDAR and its chapters may not discriminate against an eligible applicant."
McDonald said her chapter has another proposal ready that they will vote on at their next meeting in March.
"The language of the new proposal will accommodate the concerns the NBOM addressed in their rejection letter," she said. "We are looking forward to this process again in the coming year – 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."
According to a copy of the rejection letter shared with Fox News Digital, the NBOM found the proposed amendments "not to be suitable for inclusion in the bylaws and not to be in the best interests of the Society," adding that it "rejected the proposed amendments in their entirety" and that they will not be forwarded to the 134th Continental Congress.
The letter also said the DAR will continue to rely on its "long-standing policy" to accept state-certified birth certificates and will not introduce requirements for chromosomal DNA tests to establish an applicant's sex.
"We will continue doing this every year until we at least get a vote at the Continental Congress," McDonald previously told Fox News Digital. "That's the only fair and transparent way to handle this."
CAL argued, on behalf of the Martha Laird DAR Chapter in Texas, that members of the organization have a First Amendment right to exclude trans-identifying men from eligibility.
"To the extent state and local public accommodation statutes may be interpreted to require the DAR to admit trans-identifying men, such a requirement would likely violate the DAR’s First Amendment rights if the DAR determined that such a requirement would interfere with its ability to advance its intended message," the memorandum reads.
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Additionally, they argue that while nonprofits run the risk of losing their nonprofit status if they act in a way that is illegal or contrary to "national public policy," it is unlikely that the DAR, a genealogical association that limits membership to natal females, violates national public policy.
"To the best of our knowledge, the IRS has never revoked a sex-based organization’s nonprofit status based on the fact that the organization excluded trans-identifying men from membership eligibility," the memorandum reads. "Moreover, the DAR currently excludes men who do not identify as transgender from eligibility."
The DAR was founded in 1890 as a place for women who share a commitment to honoring Revolutionary War patriots and promoting historical preservation, as they couldn't join their male counterparts in the Sons of the American Revolution. Members famously must trace their lineage to those who helped fight in the war for American independence.
"The fact that we've excluded men since our founding… we should have lost our nonprofit status a long time ago or never even obtained it to begin with," McDonald said.
In June 2024, former DAR member Brenda Becker spoke with Fox News Digital about her resignation from the organization in protest following the bylaw amendment that said chapters cannot "discriminate against an eligible applicant based on race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law," leading to criticism that biological men identifying as transgender women could be part of the group. But the DAR has claimed that was already the case.
"This literally is the epitome of gaslighting because, first of all, they tell members that nothing has changed in their admissions process from the beginning when we were founded in 1890, that only women are eligible for membership," McDonald said. "But, then they go on to say that a man who claims he's a woman is a woman, and therefore he's eligible for membership. But if you are a man that doesn't claim to be a woman, you're not eligible for membership."
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The updated language was criticized for its vagueness, with some members expressing confusion last year over whether this would mean transgender women could join. In a document titled "Answers to Frequently Asked Member Questions Regarding Transgender Women in DAR," which was shared with Fox News Digital, the organization's leadership affirmed that transgender members were permitted to join.
Since the organization announced the amendment during DAR’s 2023 Continental Congress, over 500 members and former members of the DAR have sent nearly 3,000 messages to DAR leadership expressing discontent with the bylaw change, according to the New Tolerance Campaign (NTC). Members against the change argue that unless the bylaws are reversed, they will be forced to share changing rooms, restrooms and hotel rooms with biological males.
Becker told Fox News Digital she and other women feel like they are being deceived, and added it was ironic that one can join the DAR using an altered birth certificate when membership is contingent on accurate biographical records. McDonald added that this was especially important because the organization hasn't typically allowed any altered birth certificates to act as verification for admission.
"If I were to adopt a little girl right now, she could not use her altered birth certificate to get into the DAR, using my line, my biological line," McDonald explained. "She would have to go dig up her original birth certificate and jump through all these other hoops that other applicants don't, to prove her biological line."
Fox News Digital reached out to DAR for comment.
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