Daughters of the American Revolution votes to keep trans members

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Daughters of the American Revolution votes to keep trans members

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/07/daughters-of-the-american-revolution-votes-to-keep-trans-members/ 🔗

Greg Owen (12 July 2026)

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.

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.

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.

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.