DAR disbands chapter that called for female-only membership

The governing body of the Daughters of the American Revolution voted Saturday to dissolve a chapter that was pushing for female-only membership. DAR’s National Board of Management dissolved the Martha Laird Chapter for allegedly violating the organization’s bylaws, according to a letter the organizing secretary general addressed to the chapter.

What was the purported violation? Laura McDonald, the treasurer of the Martha Laird chapter and leader of the advocacy group Daughters Advocating for Restoration, said in a social media post that DAR leadership gave no basis for the decision. She said the organization is shutting her chapter down for its support for restoring DAR’s policy regarding female-only membership. But DAR told Fox News that the decision came not because of views on membership but because chapter officers had used the chapter’s name, leadership positions, communications, and governance processes to further the goals of a separate advocacy organization.

McDonald founded Daughters Advocating for Restoration with the goal of protecting DAR’s female-only membership. The group last year organized DAR chapters to call for a special meeting to consider a resolution to affirm that membership should be reserved for women who can attest they were female at birth. The resolution was defeated this past June.

WORLD has reached out to DAR for comment and will update with any response.

What is the Daughters of the American Revolution? The women’s service organization was founded in 1890 and has since become a multimillion-dollar nonprofit with a congressional charter and a building near the White House. Members are required to prove lineal bloodline descent from the founding generation of soldiers, civil servants, and signers. The group claims it is only open to women ages 18 or older.

Dig deeper: Read Harrison Watter’s Stew report about this summer’s failed vote to reserve DAR membership for females.