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The Daughters of the American Revolution Now Allows Biological Men to Join—and She’s Resigning Because of It

Dale Jacobi, longtime member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, is resigning from the organization after learning DAR will accept biological men into its membership. While she’s sad to leave the organization she’s volunteered years of her life to grow, she’s not alone. Other women are following her out the door.


When you visit Dale Jacobi’s Facebook profile, the first thing you’ll learn about her is this:

“I help other women become members of the Daughters of the American Revolution.”

For six years, she was the registrar of a New York chapter of DAR and two years as Registrar in Tennessee, helping women trace their heritages to become members. “I’ve met so many wonderful women in DAR,” she said. “The sisterhood in the organization is especially meaningful.”

Through her own research, Jacobi discovered that she’s related to several people who shaped our young nation, including a pioneer doctor in Kentucky, a cousin named Thomas Jefferson (yes, the president himself), ambassadors to Chile in the Lincoln and administration and Minister to Mexico in the Grant administrations, and a man who rode horseback with the Committees of Correspondence to share information within the State of Maryland during the Revolution.

When she was accepted into the Manhattan chapter of DAR, Jacobi said something just locked into place. “I loved it,” she remembered. “It was wonderful meeting women with long American histories, and it was interesting to hear their stories.”

Over the course of decades, Jacobi helped more than 100 women become members of DAR. And now, she’s leaving.

Jacobi was watching a livestream of a DAR conference when she heard about a bylaw change that would let individuals join who identify as transgender women. Several delegates spoke up with concerns. Dale said that she was floored while listening from her computer.

But it was too late. After a ‘show of hands’ vote, the bylaw change passed, and according to the DAR bylaws, all states and chapters must adhere to any changes passed at the Continental Congress.

Jacobi then wrote a letter to national DAR board members and the bylaw committee with her concerns. She also wrote letters of support to the delegates who spoke up with their concerns about the proposed bylaw change.

None of the national officers replied to her letters. However, she did hear back from the women who voiced concerns about the bylaw change at the conference, and they formed a loose group: The Biological Daughters of the Revolution.

Together they worked to propose two amendments—one that would define what a woman is, and the other to clarify the documents needed for a DAR application, including a primary source birth certificate (not an altered one).

“I’m proud of the work we did. From Maine to Tennessee, from Texas to Nevada and Wyoming, we worked together to get this done in a relatively short time,” Jacobi recalled.

Per the DAR’s requirements, they needed 10 chapters in at least 5 states to support a change, and they had under a month to get it done. Not only did they make the deadline—they secured chapters in double the number of states needed.

But when DAR held a board meeting in October, they snubbed the proposal. In the next update from President General Pamela Wright, she wrote:

“Some have asked if this means a transgender woman can join DAR, or if this means that DAR chapters have previously welcomed transgender women. The answer to both questions is yes.”

Jacobi finally got her answer. The DAR, a non-political organization, had subscribed to transgender ideology. DAR will now accept state-certified, altered birth certificates as proof of a man being female.

Amazingly, the DAR still considers adopted women with altered birth certificates to be ineligible for membership through lineage with their adopted family (but, they can join through their biological family).

“That’s why I am leaving now,” Jacobi explained. “It’s been a tough decision, but it’s just not something I can support. God created man and woman only.”

After dedicating so much time to this organization, Jacobi said that it hurts to walk away. But Jacobi is not alone—there are 14 others resigning from her chapter and more than 200 associated with the Biological Women’s group.

Jacobi shared that DAR won’t release the number of women who are resigning nationwide. And sadly, most DAR members have no idea what has been done to their inherited women’s society, created two centuries ago to support daughters of patriots who fought to free our nation from tyranny.

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