At their annual Continental Congress gathering last week, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) rejected a proposal to define trans women out of membership in the organization.
The vote was the culmination of a two-year battle among members over who does and doesn’t qualify as a “daughter” in the American lineage society.
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The DAR was established in the late 19th century and is composed of members who trace their ancestry directly to “patriots” and others who fought in or supported the American Revolution.
The group was founded in reaction to discrimination when another lineage organization, the Sons of the American Revolution, refused to admit women.
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Despite that heritage, the DAR has been known more for its own exclusionary policies than progressive values; Eleanor Roosevelt famously resigned from the organization after the DAR denied Black singer Marian Anderson permission to sing at Constitution Hall in Washington.
The DAR was described at the time as “a group of tottering old ladies, who don’t know the difference between patriotism and putridism.” The reputation for exclusivity persisted.
It was surprising, then, when a little-publicized bylaw became national news in 2024. At the group’s annual gathering that year, the DAR’s president at the time, Pamela Rouse Wright, addressed the group’s anti-discrimination rule.
“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 subsequent newsletter. “The answer to both questions is, yes.”
The explanation sent a clear message at a time when transgender people were under direct assault by the then-GOP presidential candidate during the 2024 election cycle.
“It’s a powerful statement,” Ben Takai, a board member at Metro DC PFLAG, told The Washingtonian at the time. “The DAR is not necessarily seen as a progressive organization, but to have their president say, ‘We are going to respect these people’… that sends a message.”
But the clarification also inspired pushback from a faction of members, who organized a campaign to exclude trans members under the banner Daughters Advocating for Restoration. In reaction, a group supporting trans membership, Daughters for Inclusivity, was organized.
“I cannot fathom that a group formed because of prejudice against women is now doing the same thing to our trans sisters,” one member wrote on the group’s Facebook page. “The irony is mind-blowing to me.”
Last Friday, at the DAR’s 135th Continental Congress, the dispute was put to a vote.
Members voted 1,481 to 984 against defining “woman” as “born female” in the group’s bylaws. The DAR will continue to welcome trans members.
“I am one of those trans daughters,” Teagan Livingston, a DAR member since 2022, wrote following the vote, as reported by Them.
“The comments I’m reading in this group offer hope. Although I likely don’t know any of you, thank you so very much for being such steadfast allies. In this current political climate, you’ve no idea how very much that means to me and other trans daughters!”
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