Former members of the Daughters of the American Revolution are speaking out against the historic organization accepting transgender women, despite claims that membership rules have not changed.
“There is no place for radical gender ideology in this historic organization,” Brenda Becker, a former DAR chapter executive director who resigned in October, told Fox News Digital.
DAR members famously must trace their lineage back to people who served in combat during the American Revolutionary War. Last summer, the organization amended its bylaws to say chapters “shall not discriminate against qualified applicants on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.” That sparked criticism that someone who is biologically male but identifies as transgender woman could become a member of the organization, but the organization points out that that was already the case.
Since the organization announced the changes at the DAR’s 2023 Continental Congress, more than 500 DAR members and former members have sent nearly 3,000 messages to DAR leadership expressing their dissatisfaction with the bylaw changes, according to the DAR. New Tolerance Campaign (NTC)Those opposed to the changes say that unless the rules are lifted, they will be forced to share changing rooms, toilets and hotel rooms with biological males.
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A flag hangs at the entrance to the headquarters of the Daughters of the American Revolution at Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, on June 6, 2017. (Getty Images)
Becker told Fox News Digital that she and other women feel deceived, adding that it’s ironic that women can join the DAR using falsified birth certificates when they can’t join without accurate biographical records, and that the organization was founded in 1890 because women couldn’t join the Sons of the American Revolution, a male organization.
“The DAR motto is God, Home and Country, so for a man to be able to say he’s a woman just because he thinks he’s a woman or feels like a woman really goes against the values and beliefs of a lot of DAR members,” she said.
DAR is a women’s volunteer organization of approximately 190,000 members of diverse beliefs and backgrounds with a common mission to honor Revolutionary War patriots and promote historical preservation, education and patriotism.
The revised bylaws state that “NSDAR and its chapters shall not discriminate against qualified applicants on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.”
The revised wording was criticized as being vague, Some members expressed confusion Last year, the DAR debated whether transgender women could join. In a document shared with Fox News Digital titled “Answers to Frequently Asked Questions from Members About Transgender Women in the DAR,” the organization’s leadership asserted that transgender members are allowed to join.
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“Does the DAR allow transgender members? Yes. Transgender women have always been and continue to be eligible for membership in the DAR. This is not a new policy, nor was it introduced through a recent constitutional change,” the document states.
“Does this policy mean that DAR will allow men to become members? No. Men are not eligible for membership in DAR. Transgender women are not men, nor are transgender women simply men dressed in women’s clothing. Transgender women live as and identify as women,” the document continues.
DAR said Fox News Digital The proposed amendments to the National Constitution were overwhelmingly passed by member state representatives, clarifying that “DAR membership requirements remain unchanged” and that instead “the language of the anti-discrimination policy has been updated.”
The DAR says that membership will remain the same: “Membership in the National Association of the Daughters of the American Revolution is open to any woman eighteen years of age or older, who has unswerving loyalty to the cause of American Independence and who is a lineal descendant of a man or woman who served as a sailor, soldier or civil officer in the several colonies or states, or in the colonies or states of the United States, or who has given material assistance to the patriotic cause.”
The Nevada Sagebrush Chapter of DAR celebrated its 100th anniversary last February as the oldest chapter in Nevada. (Randy Becker)
“Last summer, updated language in the ordinance states that the DAR will accept certified birth certificates that indicate the applicant is female, including birth certificates that may have been legally amended. This has been official policy and practice for decades. Whether and under what circumstances a birth certificate can be changed is a matter determined by each state’s laws and policies, not the DAR,” the statement added.
A document shared with Fox News Digital backs this up, saying, “For over 30 years, a government-issued birth certificate identifying a person as a woman has been accepted as proof of eligibility. Acceptance of transgender women has occurred naturally.”
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Becker said this “vague language” was justified because it was necessary for the DAR to maintain its tax-exempt status, but noted that the DAR is protected from discrimination lawsuits because it is a private membership organization.In a document sent to DAR leadership and shared with Fox News Digital, the organization clarified members’ doubts about the DAR’s status as a private membership organization.
“If discrimination is illegal, how can NSDAR and its chapters exclude men from membership?” the document states. “The DAR is not only a public accommodation and employer, but also a private membership organization. Its membership policies are generally considered exempt from anti-discrimination laws if they limit membership to people with a protected characteristic (in this case, women). DAR’s membership restrictions are still limited, making it illegal, for example, to accept only white women as members.”
Becker called this “highly contradictory” and organized an online group called “Biological Daughters” after members’ comments on the issue were removed from the DAR’s official online forum.
Members of Sagebrush, Nevada, are placing flags on veterans’ graves in preparation for the 4th of July in 2023. (Fox News Digital)
“The moderator kept closing our threads and saying we couldn’t talk about this or anything like that,” she said. “So I said, let’s start a private forum for people who want to address this issue. Our group is spread across the country, probably about 85 to 90 people, from Maine to California… We want the current ordinance to be repealed.”
The group worked to draft and present a constitutional amendment to be voted on at the Continental Congress in June 2024, but in February the National Board of Directors voted against an amendment proposed by Becker’s Sagebrush, Nevada chapter (supported by 11 other chapters), meaning the amendment will not be voted on at next month’s Continental Congress.
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Asked to confirm whether transgender women are allowed to join the group, a DAR spokesperson replied, “DAR is a women’s organization and accepts applicants who are listed as female on their birth certificate. DAR does not collect member demographic data that would indicate an applicant or member is transgender. DAR has anecdotal information from some chapters that they have welcomed and supported a small number of applicants who identify as transgender women over a long period of time spanning several decades. These applicants have become active and respected members of their local chapters. DAR will continue to follow these longstanding practices.”
