In late June, over 3,000 delegates attended the Daughters of the American Revolution’s 135th Continental Congress in Washington, D.C. What was supposed to be a three-hour Special Order of Business meeting turned into 12 hours as members debated a contentious topic: whether the organization would adopt a formal definition of the word “woman” in its National Bylaws.
Founded in 1890, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is an organization of women who can trace their bloodline back to a Patriot who fought in the Revolutionary War. Membership hinges on accurate records, especially birth certificates. That’s why DAR members across the country were scandalized to learn that, unbeknownst to them, DAR leadership had been allowing biological men identifying as women to join using altered birth certificates.
Back in 2023, when this information became widespread, many DAR members resigned in protest. Others began drafting legislation to formally limit membership to biological women. After all, their brother organization, Sons of the American Revolution, has long refused to accept biological women as members. But DAR leadership, headed by President General Ginnie Sebastian Storage, repeatedly brushed concerned members’ protests aside.
According to the Daughters Advocating Restoration, a group of DAR members committed to biological integrity, a contingent of over 90 chapters from 33 states previously called for a special meeting to be held this coming October to specifically focus on this issue. Instead, the topic was unexpectedly brought up for a vote during the Continental Congress on June 26, resulting in a 12-hour-long meeting that reportedly forced members to go without food, water, or restroom access or risk exclusion.
According to the Daughters Advocating Restoration, DAR leadership was supposed to notify members that the issue of trans-identified members would be covered during the Continental Congress instead of a special October meeting. However, “only about 3% of the membership were notified, and many members were confused.”
Evie Magazine, which had two reporters inside the 12-hour “standoff,” wrote that DAR members attempted to bring their concerns to leadership using approved channels and honoring the organization’s bylaws, even though DAR had not offered them the same courtesy when it began allowing males to join without holding a vote. IW Features previously reported on DAR’s systemic suppression of conservative opinions, with one member saying that leadership muted her during a Zoom meeting when she sought to raise her concerns in good faith.
During the 135th Continental Congress, treatment was much the same. According to Evie, “many women remained in their seats rather than risk missing the vote,” as members who left the room to access food, water, or restrooms were often prevented from returning. Evie also reported that the voting process was incredibly opaque and even misleading, with the full question never appearing on the ballot itself.
Additionally, a re-vote was held after many delegates had already left, not knowing that a second vote would occur.
Unfortunately, the resolution that had been proposed – namely, that DAR’s National Bylaws should contain a formal definition of the word “woman” – was not adopted. This is incredibly disappointing, as committed DAR members have been trying to bring common-sense boundaries to the organization’s bylaws for three years, only to be met with suspiciously poor communication and a blatant disrespect for existing procedures.
As noted in a previous IW Features article, DAR was founded by women, for women, after Sons of the American Revolution limited its membership to men. It is ironic that an organization based on women’s inclusion and dependent on accurate biographical records has sacrificed both on the altar of radical gender ideology. If the requirement to be female has been taken away, why not the requirement to prove a connection to Revolutionary War veterans? And at that point, what is the purpose of the organization?
DAR members have a fight ahead of them. The Federalist reported yesterday that the head of DAR’s Texas branch sent out an email threatening any members who protest the vote held at the 135th Continental Congress. Speaking out “could result in disciplinary action against a member,” she said.
However, DAR members are refusing to give up. On the Daughters Advocating Restoration’s Facebook group yesterday, members celebrated the fact that 97 chapters have now joined the call for a special meeting to be held in October to revisit this issue. Perhaps if members are properly notified and a vote is held in good faith, the Daughters standing up for biological reality will get the results they’re hoping for—and that they deserve.
