This is the third article in an ongoing series about the National Daughters of the American Revolution deciding to admit transgender men, a decision that has not gone over well. Here are links to Part One: When the DAR Went Woke and Part Two: When the DAR Went Woke, Part Two
On Oct. 10, 2026, the National Board of Management (hereafter known as the NBOM) of the Daughters of the American Revolution voted to disband the Martha Laird Chapter, in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, claiming that the chapter had used “…the chapter’s name, leadership positions, communications, and governance processes to further the goals of a separate advocacy organization…The Board determined that it was this use of chapter authority and resources – not the views being advocated – that constituted conduct discrediting the National Society under Article XIX, Section 4 of the National Bylaws.” The Martha Laird Chapter, formed in 1942, is the first to be punished for speaking its mind on the transgender issue that is currently roiling the D.A.R.
Further on, the NBOM states that “Individual members of the Texas chapter retain their D.A.R. memberships and are free to advocate for changes to the National Bylaws through the Society’s established governance processes…” Which is exactly what the chapter was doing. As a long- standing member who’s watched the mess unfold and changed chapters over it, I can say for a fact that there is no separate advocacy organization. There is a Facebook page, of which I am a member, where the D.A.R. members come to talk to each other. The members share what their chapters are doing and give each other information on transferring to a chapter that does not agree with D.A.R. National. That is the sum total of the “advocacy organization.”
The chapters that have signed a petition to call for a special meeting of the national society call themselves Resolute Chapters, in that they are resolute in their determination to return the D.A.R. to what it was, a trusted genealogical society for over 100 years. That’s it. That’s all there is. They do not hold themselves separate from the rest of the society. They do not believe themselves to be part of another organization. They simply want the national society to respond to their request for a special meeting. I know this because the chapter I joined is a resolute chapter. There is nothing nefarious going on within the chapters. The national society, through the NBOM, has chosen to ignore reality and claim something that isn’t true. In legal terms, the NBOM is assuming facts that are not in evidence.
There are 241 D.A.R. chapters nationwide that have signed a petition calling for a special meeting. Martha Laird was the chapter that wrote the resolution to call for a special meeting. Is the NBOM going to disband 241 chapters? I’d like to see them try. This will not end well for them. This is intimidation, pure and simple. In fact, it is reminiscent of King George isolating Massachusetts from the rest of the colonies after the Boston Tea Party in December 1773.
The idea was "separate the troublemaker from the rest and the rest will fall into line," which actually caused the absolute reverse to happen. It was the isolation of Massachusetts that galvanized the other colonies into joining together. We all know how that ended. The same results will happen should the NBOM continue with their foolish campaign. Not only will they lose all of the money from those chapters; they will lose whatever goodwill they might have left.
Unfortunately, it appears that the NBOM is taking the same path as King George. Early this past September, chapters across Texas received an e-mail from the Texas State Regent accusing them of voting on and joining a separate organization for the purpose of restoring the D.A.R. back to its original purpose. She states that further uses of the chapter name, identity, communications, and resources will possibly result in a referral to the NBOM for review to consider disbanding those chapters. In other words, if the chapters don’t bow to the National Society and give up the fight to remove transgender men from the organization, then the National Society could disband them, just as it did with the Martha Laird Chapter.
The State Regent could not be more wrong in what she claims chapters did if she tried. There is no separate organization. There never has been. There is a Facebook page. Period. The State Regent and the NBOM have chosen to ignore this important fact. My regent responded to the missive via e-mail stating this. She also said, “It (resolute) is also an adjective - XXX is resolute in our support of the motion to define a woman as female at birth.” She then asked for specific instances of where the chapter acted outside of the bylaws.
The Martha Laird Chapter asked for specific instances as well but received no reply. At the end of her letter, my regent states: “We believe we are well within all governing bylaws and guidelines. Therefore, we will continue to work within the framework provided by NSDAR to seek a solution to the issue of men who think they are women being welcomed into the NSDAR by national leadership.” We shall see what happens.
The NBOM claims that the Martha Laird Chapter was not disbanded because it disagreed with the National Society but that they were using the good name of the D.A.R. to support and work with a separate advocacy group and that could not be allowed to happen. I believe that’s the reason, about as much as I believe that James Talarico had the flu for 12 days. I don’t know what makes me sadder, the fact that the NBOM is continuing down this path of destruction or that they believe they can force their way of thinking onto the national chapters without issue.
They will not be successful; they will not win, and in the end, they might destroy what they claim they want to protect. They will be defeated. I don’t know how, but they will. The NBOM will be made to account for what they’ve tried to do. It will not end well. I would like to thank Fox News, Molly Hemingway, Outnumbered, and The Ingraham Angle for bringing attention to this ongoing problem. Laura Ingraham interviewed Laura McDonald, a member of the Martha Laird Chapter, on The Ingraham Angle after the chapter was disbanded.
If you are a praying soul, please pray that the NBOM sees the light and realizes how destructive their actions are and stops trying to force their will on the national chapters. At this point, we could definitely use divine intervention.