The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a nonprofit organization for women who can prove they are descended from a patriot of the American Revolution. The organization was founded in 1890.
Recently, DAR opened up memberships to biological males who think they are women, known as “trans women.”
According to The Washingtonian, this was made clear when Pamela Rouse Wright, who runs DAR, affirmed that a tweak in the organization’s discrimination policy meant that transgender people could join.
“Some have asked if this means a transgender woman can join DAR or if this means that DAR chapters have previously welcomed transgender women,” Wright wrote in a newsletter. “The answer to both questions is, yes.”
Now, a local chapter in Texas is challenging this with the help of the Center for American Liberty (CAL). The Martha Laird Chapter of DAR has asked the national organization to consider a bylaw amendment to clarify its membership eligibility criteria. The proposed amendment would guarantee that DAR is reserved for females only. This would not allow men who identify as women to join.
CAL drafted a letter to DAR leadership explaining the legality of this change.
“Not only does the DAR have a constitutional right to pass such an amendment, but doing so would ensure the organization stays true to its roots as a genealogical society for women only,” the letter said.
A memo accompanying the letter affirmed that the amendment aligns with the DAR’s First Amendment rights and would maintain its tax-exempt status in the District of Columbia, where the organization is headquartered.
"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 reads. The national organization will consider it next month.
“Our goal is to restore and preserve our Historic American Society – founded for women by women,” Laura McDonald, a member of the Martha Laird Chapter of DAR said in a statement. “Yet, we find ourselves in a strange position of combating those in leadership who are sadly driven by an agenda.”
“We don’t want to tarnish the reputation of DAR. On the contrary, we seek to restore and preserve it,” she added.
“Organizations like the DAR have the constitutional right to define their membership criteria, and this amendment is a bold step forward protecting the associational rights of women – not male caricatures of women,” Mark Trammell, executive director of CAL, said.
“National DAR leadership in D.C. is misleading rank-and-file members, claiming that they must admit trans-identifying men or face legal liability and lose their non-profit status. Our legal memo debunks this fearmongering,” he added.
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