Last summer at this time, Caroline and I were finalizing our application process to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). I love American history and have wanted to know for a long time if we had ancestors who fought in the War for American Independence. We did and I happily finished the process and paid so we could officially become Daughters of the American Revolution. 

You might also remember my dismay when I learned just a short time later that the DAR allows men to join the organization. If you missed it, I wrote about it here: Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Allowing Men (Transgenders) To Become Members. 

So I thought that was all pretty bad. It took the wind out of my sails and I think we’ve attended two meetings since that happened. I can accept keeping politics and religion out of the meetings. But I cannot accept denying the most basic science and truth.

It truly ruined DAR for me. 

But then things got much worse. 

I’m telling the full story here for a few reasons. This will be long, but there is a reason I’m doing it that will become clear at the end. 

Cryptic Email from DAR President General

Last week I received an email from the national President General. This is not unusual because DAR sends out a lot of emails on the local, state, and national level. Even though I haven’t really been involved, I do try to read all the local and state ones. I also try to read or at least skim the national emails. Here is the letter.

Email Subject: Message About Vote on Chapter-Proposed Resolution

Dear Daughters,

The 135th Continental Congress brought DAR members from around the world together for a week of ceremony, business, fellowship, recognition, and service to our shared mission. There is much to report from Continental Congress, and additional updates, photographs, and highlights from the week will be shared with members in the days ahead.

Among the matters before the voting members was a chapter-proposed resolution concerning membership eligibility, which received attention both within and beyond our National Society. On Friday, June 26, 2026, after hours of earnest debate and the careful counting of every hard-copy ballot, the resolution was not adopted. The question was a significant one, and members on both sides approached it with conviction and a sincere commitment to the DAR.

Throughout the proceedings, the vast majority of those present conducted themselves with the seriousness, patience, and respect that have long characterized this National Society. While emotions surrounding this issue have at times been deeply felt, every member deserves to be treated with dignity and courtesy. That dignity does not depend on how any of us voted, nor is it ours to withhold. To any member who has felt discouraged or unwelcome: you are, and remain, a valued Daughter.

The question was put to the assembly, and the assembly answered. The decision of the voting members reflects the considered judgment of the membership assembled at the Continental Congress, and it deserves our respect. It does not divide us into those who prevailed and those who did not. We remain one National Society, united not by agreement on every issue but by a shared mission – to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism, and to honor the women and men whose sacrifices secured American independence. That mission is larger than any single vote, and it asks something of us now: to extend to one another the same respect we extend to the memory of those who came before us.

As our nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of American independence, we are reminded that enduring institutions are sustained by a commitment to principle, thoughtful deliberation, and respect for one another, even in moments of disagreement. Having fulfilled our responsibility as a deliberative body, we now turn together to the work that has always defined the DAR.

We move forward as one National Society, united in purpose and committed to the mission that has guided us for 135 years. Thank you for your continued service, your devotion to the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and your commitment to one another.

Ginnie Sebastian Storage
President General

I thought to myself, “What in the world did I miss? Why is this so cryptic? Why not just tell us what it was about?”

So, as I always do, I went to search for myself. 

What Happened at the 135th DAR Contenental Congress?

I found a few brief articles informing me that it was a fight over allowing men to join DAR. 

And apparently it went very badly.

The fight and vote consumed a lot of time and they had to vote twice due to allegations of cheating. 

The outcome was to continue allowing men to join. 

(But at that moment, I didn’t yet know how badly it went.)

Then I wondered how in the world I missed this bit of information. How did I not know about this? I do try to stay on top of the emails. 

I was ticked. This was the one issue that mattered to me and I wasn’t even aware it was being discussed let alone voted on. So after taking a bit to calm down, I politely replied to the President General and copied in a few local leaders. 

Dear Mrs. Storage,

My 19 year old daughter and I joined DAR last year as charter members of Rogue River Chapter in Michigan. I was so excited to finally have the opportunity to complete the process after wondering about it for many years.

I cannot begin to express how disappointed I was to learn just a few months later that DAR allows men to join. It never crossed my mind to look into whether or not DAR had caved to the cultural zeitgeist even though I’ve watched my sorority do the same thing. I could not imagine a group named after Daughters would welcome men.

That was sad enough. Now I learn through a vaguely worded email after the fact that a resolution about this very matter was brought before the organization. Only those who knew about it and could afford to attend were allowed to vote on this substantial proposal. I had to look for news stories to figure out what had happened in an organization I pay to be a member of.

I’m glad I didn’t know any of this before I completed the process because proving out my heritage mattered a great deal to me. But what a disappointment this organization has turned out to be.

Sallie Schaaf Borrink
Rogue River Chapter, Michigan

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who took offense to the email.

It is now nine days later and I have received no reply or even acknowledgement of my email. 

But yesterday I realized why.

The Disastrous DAR Resolution Votes 

Yesterday I looked up the situation again and discovered just how badly this was handled. What I am writing below is what I have been able to piece together using open sources. I don’t have any DAR friends and I’m not on social media so I relied on YouTube and search. However, that was enough to fill in the gaps. 

Here are the alleged facts about what went down. 

• A group called Daughters Advocating for Restoration has been working to get this matter dealt with through the proper procedures. The Martha Laird Chapter of Texas has been leading this. They have allegedly been thwarted at every turn in their desire to bring this matter to the entire membership.
• The resolution apparently included this wording regarding how membership would be restricted: “a biological female at conception, having naturally occurring X chromosomes, exclusive of Y chromosomes, and certified as female or girl on the original birth certificate.”
• The actual resolution: “Resolved, That in Article III, Section 1 of the Bylaws, the term ‘woman’ shall be understood to clearly mean a woman who was born female, and therefore, individuals who were born male shall not be eligible for membership; transgender women shall not be eligible for membership; and men who have their birth certificates changed from male to female shall not be eligible for membership.”
• The reason I never heard about this is because the national DAR leadership did not follow procedures or inform the full membership. Something like this is to be sent to 100% of the membership. It is estimated only 3% of the membership was informed. (So that explains why someone like me who takes the time to read the materials sent out was completely in the dark.) 
• The Daily Signal reported: “The DAR bylaws require the organization’s president general to call a special meeting at the request of at least 30 chapters in 10 states. Yet, rather than hold a special meeting, DAR leadership opted to add the resolution on biological sex to the agenda of the group’s annual Constitutional Convention.”
• This resolution was dealt with from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday. The room was freezing. The DAR members were not allowed to leave the room except for two 20 minute bathroom breaks. They were not allowed to bring food or water into the room. If they left the room without following these guidelines, they lost the ability to vote.
• Women who voted in the first vote and left because they thought they had fulfilled their duty didn’t get to vote in the second vote (after the cheating allegations if I’m understanding correctly) because they weren’t there for the second vote.
• The pro-men side was allowed to present a paper by a law professor from the University of Michigan who heavily promotes gender identity. The pro-woman side was not allowed to present anything even though Harmeet Dhillon (now assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Justice Department under President Donald Trump) also wrote a paper coming to the exact opposite conclusion. Only one side was allowed to provide input from an outside expert.
• Lastly, the entire thing and voting was allegedly overseen (because I wasn’t there to confirm) by three members of the pro-men coalition – including the President General.

So there’s the run down of what I’ve been forced to piece together for myself because the official story is so lacking in facts and substance.

The Local and State Impact on DAR Members

I may be a lowly member in DAR, but I’ve been involved enough in national organizations to know this stinks to high heaven. Every bullet point I highlighted is a glaring problem that casts doubt on the validity of the proceedings and outcome. How can I be expected to have faith in this organization when something of this magnitude is handled like this? 

Before I share two videos you might want to watch, let me now explain why I wrote all this. 

Allegedly, members were warned not to discuss this or they would be black-balled. When I read that on a tweet someone shared (that I can’t find now!), it all made sense. The reason no one wants to discuss this is because they’ve allegedly been threatened. Stay quiet or lose your ability to move up in the organization.

Can I prove that? No. But does it make sense to me based on what I’ve observed? Yes. 

Since I have no desire to move up in the organization, I will use my freedom to write about this here. 

So that’s the story as best as I can put it together. These two videos add a bit more. 

Kelly Jackson shares the above Mollie Hemingway interview, but also digs into more of what happened.