A coalition of Daughters of the American Revolution members suffered a defeat last week in their battle to bar biological males, but like their patriotic ancestors, surrender isn’t part of their DNA.
Laura McDonald, a founder of Daughters Advocating for Restoration, said the group’s steering committee is exploring other avenues after its resolution clarifying that members must be “female born” was voted down Friday at the DAR’s 135th Continental Congress.
“After we did not adopt the resolution, I wasn’t sure what to do next,” Ms. McDonald told The Washington Times. “In some ways, I felt a burden lifted, because at least now I had an answer. We had taken a vote. But after that, what with the attention that it’s getting, the members don’t want to give up.”
At the top of the list: Pushing the president-general to hold a special meeting to consider the transgender-membership issue.
Ms. McDonald said the leadership must call a special meeting if at least 30 chapters from 10 states request it. The “restoration” group rounded up 95 chapters in 33 states in support of a meeting to be held Oct. 11.
Instead of scheduling the special meeting, however, the leadership added the “female born” resolution to the Continental Congress agenda, a move that Daughters Advocating for Restoration slammed as a violation of the bylaws.
“We’re looking at what our options are, ways to actually compel the president-general to fulfill her duty and call that special meeting according to the bylaws,” said Ms. McDonald.
The “female born” resolution lost by a vote of about 984-1,481.
Even so, supporters of the proposal are energized, thanks in part to a wave of media attention in conservative outlets such as The Washington Times, Fox News Channel, the New York Post, The Daily Wire, and The Federalist.
“Daughters of the American Revolution Betrays its Mission by Rejecting Resolution to Keep its Ranks Female,” said the Monday headline in The Federalist.
A Daughters Advocating for Restoration crowdfunding page on GiveSendGo that raised about $6,000 before the Friday meeting had ballooned to more than $64,000 by Tuesday afternoon.
“I think everybody’s first thought was to leave,” said Amy Vaughn, a DAR member from South Carolina who supported the resolution. “Then I was thinking, I’ll probably stay in, because I could be kind of like a thorn in their side. My ancestors did not lose their lives and fortunes for nothing. We had people who survived the Jamestown massacre. What if I just gave up? Then their fight was for nothing.”
Comments on the Daughters Advocating for Restoration’s Facebook page include: “Please don’t give up,” and “It’s worth fighting for. It’s what would be expected from our ancestors and founders.”
“Our patriots lost some battles, but they stuck it out some stuck it out through brutal, bitter physical seasons,” said Brenda Stringer Christensen Esdohr, who said she plans to apply for membership. “This is our winter of Valley Forge … if you stay, and we grow, we can still win a war!”
The group is also selling T-shirts on Custom Ink with an image of a Revolutionary War-era female patriot with the message: “Hold the Line!”
Daughters for Inclusivity, the counter-group supporting transgender members, said Monday on Facebook that membership inquiries have surged, but suggested that the heightened interest isn’t necessarily a good thing.
“We have seen a recent spike in interest since DAR voted no to discrimination on Friday,” said the page’s administrator. “Our stated purpose has always been to shine a positive light on DAR, educate on and advocate for inclusivity, and not just on a single topic. Not all of this increased interest is positive, therefore, we will be pausing this group for a short time as we evaluate how best to move forward.”
The DAR, a nonprofit organization for women over 18 who are descended from an American Revolution patriot, has accepted at least five male-to-female transgender applicants in the last several years.
Thousands of members have resigned, but the leadership has stood by the transgender members. The president-general said in 2023 that “transgender women” are eligible under the group’s nondiscrimination policy.
The group accepts government-issued birth certificates as proof of gender, but 44 states and the District of Columbia allow individuals to change the gender marker on their birth certificate.
DAR leaders have argued that barring transgender applicants would violate the District’s non-discrimination law, while Daughters Advocating for Restoration has countered that the law doesn’t apply to private membership associations.
The Washington Times has reached out to the DAR for comment.
Despite the loss, Ms. McDonald said she sees reason for optimism. At the same meeting, the delegates defeated two proposed amendments that would have made it more difficult to amend the bylaws and call special meetings.
Both those amendments were opposed by Daughters Advocating for Restoration.
“We just cannot walk away from these women who have dedicated so much. They’re not ready to give up,” Ms. McDonald said. “We have at least one more shot at this. The bylaw requirement that we fought tooth and nail to satisfy for that special meeting is owed to us.”
