Daughters of the American Revolution axes chapter that challenged transgender membership
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) voted Saturday to disband its Martha Laird Chapter in Texas that fought to bar transgender women from joining the historic organization, citing violations of its national bylaws.
In a letter to chapter members, DAR Organizing Secretary General Marguerite Hogan Fritsch announced that the National Board of Management had approved the chapter's dissolution by a two-thirds majority vote.
"On October 10, 2026, at the meeting of the National Board of Management of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution a resolution passed by two-thirds majority vote to disband the Martha Laird Chapter, NSDAR," Fritsch said in the letter. "The actions of the chapter have been found in violation of Article XIX, Section 4 of the Bylaws of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution," the letter continued.
The letter did not identify the specific conduct that constituted a violation or state whether the chapter's opposition to transgender membership contributed to the decision.
The Daughters of the American Revolution voted to disband its Martha Laird Chapter in Texas after the chapter led efforts to prohibit biological males who identify as transgender from joining the historic women's organization. (Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe)
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution confirmed to Fox News Digital that the organization had voted to disband the local Texas chapter but denied it was due to its views on membership.
"The National Board of Management voted on October 10 to disband the Martha Laird Chapter in Texas after finding that chapter officers had used the chapter’s name, leadership positions, communications, and governance processes to further the goals of a separate advocacy organization," the group told Fox News Digital. "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 Board’s decision was not based on the chapter’s or its members’ views concerning membership eligibility, their efforts to propose changes to the National Bylaws, or their right to advocate for changes in National Society governance," the statement continued.
The group noted that at their June 2026 meeting, national members had rejected a resolution to add further membership restrictions. Individual members of the Texas chapter retain their DAR membership and are free to advocate for changes to the National Bylaws through the Society’s established governance processes, the organization said.
The Martha Laird Chapter challenged the Daughters of the American Revolution's transgender membership policy before national leadership voted by a two-thirds majority to dissolve the Texas chapter, citing violations of the organization's bylaws. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle)
The chapter previously challenged DAR leadership's position on transgender membership, with member Laura McDonald telling Fox News Digital last year that the organization was contradicting its founding mission by recognizing transgender women as eligible members.
"But, then they go on to say that a man who claims he's a woman is a woman, and therefore he's eligible for membership. But if you are a man that doesn't claim to be a woman, you're not eligible for membership," McDonald said.
Conservative California
superintendent candidateSonja Shaw told Fox News Digital that women and girls are being told that spaces created to protect their privacy, dignity, and opportunities "no longer belong to them," including sports, restrooms, locker rooms, and now, according to her, the Daughters of the American Revolution.
"The women of the Martha Laird Chapter in Texas stood their ground. They sought to preserve a definition of "Daughters" based on biological sex and asked for a clear vote. On October 10, national leadership dissolved their chapter," Shaw said.
"Think about that. Women who stood up for their convictions saw their chapter, with a history dating back to 1942, dissolved. Here is the damning question national leadership needs to answer: Why should women be punished for standing up for the very definition of the organization they belong to?" she added.
Shaw also pointed to similar debates across the country concerning sports and privacy in women's spaces, and said "this is about more than one chapter."
"Our daughters deserve a future where they never have to ask permission to stand up for the truth, and where no woman is punished for having the courage to speak it," Shaw said.
Under DAR's national bylaws, Article XIX, Section 4 authorizes the National Board of Management to discipline or disband chapters that violate organizational rules or engage in conduct that discredits the DAR.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced legislation seeking to restrict Daughters of the American Revolution membership to biological women, months before the organization voted to dissolve a Texas chapter that challenged its transgender membership policy. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The dissolution comes nearly three months after Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., introduced the Daughters of the American Revolution Membership Integrity Act, which would amend DAR's congressional charter to restrict membership to biological women.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., subsequently introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
"Rather than honoring and preserving a lineage-based organization for women, it has embraced radical gender ideology at the expense of the women it was created to serve," Cline said.
In September 2024, the Martha Laird Chapter, supported by 11 other chapters, submitted a proposed bylaw amendment defining membership eligibility based on biological sex.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
The Center for American Liberty also provided legal assistance to the chapter, challenging DAR leadership's contention that excluding transgender applicants could jeopardize the organization's tax-exempt status.
The proposed amendment was rejected by DAR's National Board of Management in February 2025. McDonald criticized the decision at the time.
"The rejection by the National Board of Management of our proposal to define a woman in our bylaws sadly confirms what we knew all along – that leadership is taking a political stance which is not based on fears of the loss of 501(c)(3) nonprofit status," McDonald said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
DAR, founded in 1890, previously maintained that its longstanding membership policies allowed women with legally amended birth certificates to join, provided they otherwise met the organization's genealogical requirements.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Under the dissolution notice, Martha Laird Chapter members will be transferred to member-at-large status and have until Nov. 9 to secure acceptance into another chapter. The letter also directed that dues previously remitted to the chapter be refunded.
CJ Womack is an associate editor at Fox News.
CJ joined Fox News Digital's team in 2026, which highlights the vital role journalism plays in shaping politics and culture. He has years of experience analyzing and reporting on the news media.
CJ graduated from Long Beach State University in 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Journalism.
You can send news tips to cj.womack@fox.com and follow CJ on Twitter.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.