Former Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) executive board member Brenda Becker has voiced her opposition to the organization's inclusion of transgender women. Becker argues that the new bylaw amendment allowing transgender members violates DAR's values and beliefs.
Brenda Becker, a former executive board member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), has spoken out against the inclusion of transgender women in the historic organization. Becker argues that the recent bylaw amendment allowing transgender members violates DAR's values and beliefs.
"Radical gender ideology has no place in this historic institution," Becker told Fox News Digital.
DAR members must trace their lineage to those who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Last summer, DAR amended its bylaws to say that its chapters cannot "discriminate against an eligible applicant based on race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law." This has led to criticism that biological men identifying as transgender women could be part of the group.
However, DAR notes that transgender women were already eligible to join. Since the organization announced the amendment during DAR's 2023 Continental Congress, over 500 members and former members of the DAR have sent nearly 3,000 messages to DAR leadership expressing discontent with the bylaw change, according to the New Tolerance Campaign (NTC).
Members against the change argue that unless the bylaws are reversed, they will be forced to share changing rooms, restrooms, and hotel rooms with biological males.
Becker told Fox News Digital that she and other women feel like they are being deceived. She added that it was ironic that one can join DAR using an altered birth certificate when membership is contingent on accurate biographical records.
DAR is a women's volunteer organization with almost 190,000 members who share a commitment to honoring Revolutionary War patriots and promoting historic preservation, education, and patriotism.
The updated bylaws state, "NSDAR and its chapters may not discriminate against an eligible applicant based on race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law."
The amended language has been criticized for its vagueness, with some members expressing confusion last year over whether this would mean transgender women could join.
In a document titled "Answers to Frequently Asked Member Questions Regarding Transgender Women in DAR," which was shared with Fox News Digital, the organization's leadership affirmed that transgender members were permitted to join.
"Does DAR allow transgender members? Yes. Transgender women have been, and continue to be, eligible for DAR membership. This is not a new policy and was not introduced by the recent bylaw amendments," the document states.
"Does this policy mean that DAR is now allowing men to be members? No. Men are not eligible to become members of DAR. A transgender woman is not a man; a transgender woman is also not a man simply dressed as a woman. A transgender woman lives and identifies as a woman," the document continues.
DAR told Fox News Digital that the amendments to the national bylaws were overwhelmingly passed by the member delegates and clarified that they "did not change DAR membership requirements" but instead "updated non-discrimination policy language."
Becker said the "vague language" was justified as a necessity for DAR to maintain its tax-exempt status but pointed out that as a private membership organization, DAR is protected from discrimination lawsuits.
In the document sent to DAR leadership and shared with Fox News Digital, the organization clarified member questions about the DAR's status as a private membership association.
"If discrimination is illegal, then how can NSDAR and its chapters exclude men from membership?" the document states. "In addition to being a public accommodation and employer, DAR is also a private membership association. Its membership policies are generally considered outside of the scope of anti-discrimination laws when membership is restricted to people who share a protected characteristic - in this case, women."
Becker organized an online group called "Biological Daughters" after members' comments about the issue were removed from DAR's official online forum.
"The moderators of that kept shutting down our threads and saying, we couldn't talk about this and things like that," she said. "So I said, let me just start a private forum for those of us who want to work on this."
When asked to confirm if transgender women are allowed in the group, a DAR spokesperson responded, "DAR is a women's organization that accepts applicants whose birth certificate identifies them as female. DAR does not collect demographic data about members that would indicate if an applicant or a member is transgender. DAR knows anecdotally from some chapters that — over a long period of time, going back decades — they have welcomed and supported a small number of applications of prospective members whom they believe may be transgender women who became active and respected members of their local chapters. DAR will continue to follow these same long-standing practices."
