Daughters of the American Revolution Leaders Undermine Push to Ban Trans-Identifying Men

Daughters of the American Revolution voted down a resolution this week that would have banned men who identify as women from joining their ranks.

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Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 as a lineage-based service organization for women of direct descent from a patriot of the American Revolution. It was created for women, by women, to express patriotism and preserve history after they were excluded from similar men’s organizations.

DAR members sought to protect this legacy by introducing a resolution at the group’s 135th National Congress in Washington, D.C., that would have defined the word “woman” in the organization’s bylaws as a person “being born female.”

The resolution failed by a vote of 1,481 to 984 — but the process was compromised by organizers who made elderly members wait around all day in uncomfortable conditions in order to cast their votes, according to several attendees. A DAR spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

One member in attendance, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, told National Review the conditions in which the women voted were “unacceptable.”

Women entered a “freezing” conference hall around 8 a.m. and took their seats at 8:30 a.m.; the voting process concluded around 8:30 p.m. If a voter left the hall for any reason outside of designated breaks, she was not allowed back in to vote. For a stretch of over twelve hours, voters were not allowed to take any food or water into the hall, and were limited to two 20-minute bathroom breaks — one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Members, many of whom are elderly, were unable to use the bathroom for hours. Thousands of women tried to use a limited number of restrooms during the 20-minute breaks; many didn’t make it the full twelve hours, including the member who spoke to NR. “I couldn’t vote because I had to go to the bathroom,” the member said. “The executive committee,” however, “came and went as they pleased.”

Furthermore, due to seat changes and cheating allegations, the executive committee held the vote twice. However, by the time they decided to repeat the voting process, many women had already voted and left. These women were not notified of the second round, nullifying their initial vote and leaving them unable to vote again. “They created circumstances where only two-thirds were left,” said the member. “We don’t know what the will of the assembly was. It is still in question. . . . I’m too old to be an activist, but I know when things are wrong.”

Daughters Advocating for Restoration, a group consisting of DAR members “dedicated to the restoration and preservation of The Daughters of the American Revolution,” is fighting back. Laura McDonald is among them. In a Facebook statement, McDonald details the exact procedural and legal issues with the vote on Friday, pointing out that “instead of calling the special meeting for the requested date, the National Board of Management added this as an agenda item for Continental Congress, bypassing the requirement that 100% of the membership must be notified about this resolution. As a result, only about 3% of the membership were notified.”

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Additionally, membership requires two things: a valid female designation on a birth certificate and proof of lineal descent from a patriot. But the term “woman” is not defined in the bylaws by biology or gender identity. Because the term “woman” is not explicitly defined, men who identify as women can and have been admitted into the organization with a birth certificate reflecting their gender identity rather than their biological sex.

McDonald points out the hypocrisy of this practice, explaining, “They want to just throw the female one out the door in one instance, but they want to hold women who don’t have the lineal descent of a patriot to a much higher standard. . . . It’s completely backward.”

The woman who spoke to NR anonymously says there is immense pressure from DAR rank-and-file and leadership not to oppose the trans agenda. “We were told we would be blackballed at DAR if we discuss[ed] the topics,” she said. “It saddens me. . . . Can’t we have anything?”

McDonald verifies this sentiment, explaining, “For years, we have had to fight tooth and nail to have our voices heard. We have been suppressed, silenced into intimidation, told that we can’t talk about this through our DAR channels.”

Daughters for Inclusivity, another group of DAR members, believes that “all women who can trace their lineage back to a Patriot of the American Revolution should be able to join the DAR,” and that “yes, trans women are women.” At least three members of the DAR Executive Committee, including President General Ginnie Sebastian Storage, are members of the group.

Despite intense pressure, Daughters Advocating for Restoration will continue to fight to maintain the traditional nature of the organization as a space for women. For McDonald, this starts with President General Storage fulfilling “her duty to call a Special Meeting scheduled for October 11, 2026, in which all members must be notified of this resolution.”

“If the Daughters of the American Revolution, a genealogical society who has been given the duty to protect the historical record and genealogical records, cannot define a woman or cannot — will not — allow its members to fight to preserve those records, we’re in bad shape in our country,” McDonald said to NR. “That’s why we must win this. We must not let . . . [them] undermine our history and the meaning of the word woman.”

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