Award-Winning Poet Resigns From the Daughters of the American Revolution Over Its Refusal To Block Biological Males

An award-winning poet, Jennifer Reeser, says she is leaving the historic women’s organization, the Daughters of the American Revolution, after accusing the group of straying from its principles by rejecting a ban on biological males becoming members and disbanding the chapter that fought for the prohibition.The 190,000-women strong group, comprised of direct descendants of the American Revolution, formed in 1890. Famed for its genealogical research, public service, and popular performance hall at Washington, D.C., the organization became a cultural touchstone in the early 2000s when the main character, Rory, of the hit TV show “Gilmore Girls” left Yale and became a member of the exclusive, high-society group. Last June, the organization’s 135th Continental Congress voted 1,474 to 981 to reject a proposal that would have prevented transgender women from joining. Earlier this month, the DAR disbanded the Texas-based Martha Laird chapter after it sought to implement a prohibition on transgender individuals. On Wednesday, Ms. Reeser, whose work has won the New England Prize and the Lyric Memorial Prize, posted an “open letter of resignation” from the DAR on X. “I joined the Daughters of the American Revolution because I believed it to be a non-political organization of women dedicated to preserving our shared heritage and the principles of liberty—especially freedom of speech—for which our ancestors risked everything,” she said. “Over time I have come to the conclusion that the National Society has moved away from that understanding,” said the Oklahoma- and Louisiana-based poet who traces her lineage back to Richard Henry Lee. Lee is one of the Founding Fathers who wrote the resolution to declare the colonies’ independence from Great Britain, which led to the Declaration of Independence. He later served as the president of the transitional Continental Congress at Philadelphia and was a U.S. senator from Virginia.Ms. Reeser, who stopped attending meetings when the DAR accepted transgender individuals, said that the decision to let biological males join has led the organization to “become entangled in a controversy that many of us never sought and that has made respectful participation increasingly difficult.”Ms. Reeser told The New York Sun that she has yet to hear back from the DAR’s national headquarters about her public statement. However, she said prior to its decision to accept biological men, she had no other issues with the organization.“Quite to the country, I actually wrote a history for my chapter several months ago, which they planned to put on the page for our group. It was an honor to represent our chapter,” she said of her Calcasieu, Louisiana group. A Storied and Sordid HistoryThe patriotic group founded by female descendants of the American Revolution, including George Washington’s great-grandniece, Eugenia Washington, was organized to permit women to express their patriotism after being left out of men’s organizations that recognized their ancestors. In 1896, Congress granted the DAR a federal charter, giving it formal recognition and legitimacy as an organization of historical and national significance. The charter gives the DAR exclusive use of its name, emblem, and seals. The DAR does hold gatherings, but its focus is primarily on service and promoting patriotism rather than country club-style parties. Its members aim to preserve the memory of those who fought in the American Revolution, or aided the cause, and to promote patriotism. Throughout the years, the DAR has faced criticism over its exclusive nature. In 1939, it was a whites-only organization. At the time, the historically black college, Howard University, asked DAR if it would host a black opera singer, Marian Anderson, at its Constitutional Hall at Washington for a concert, which had an unwritten rule that stated only white performers could appear on stage. The group denied the request despite Ms. Anderson’s fame. In response, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a member of the DAR, presented the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal to Ms. Anderson at the civil rights group’s convention and invited the opera singer to perform at the White House. Ms. Anderson also sang at a Lincoln Memorial concert that Easter Sunday. A month later, still frustrated by the DAR’s refusal to host Ms. Anderson, Ms. Roosevelt resigned from the organization, saying the group had the chance to “lead in an enlightened way” but did not. The DAR did not end its ban until 1952, though made an exception for Ms. Anderson at a 1943 war-benefit concert at Constitution Hall. The group later apologized for its policy and Ms. Anderson sang at the facility four more times during her lifetime.In recent years, the DAR has tried to improve its image through projects such as its E Pluribus Unum Education Initiative that highlights “underrepresented groups who supported the American Revolution. In 2023, it launched the 10 Million Names project with the goal of identifying the names of the nearly 10 million enslaved individuals who lived in America prior to the abolition of slavery, locating their descendants, and providing them with free genealogical resources. Additionally, it launched a task force to identify “patriots of color” and track down their descendants.The organization claims more than one million members throughout its history. It had previously reported that its membership peaked around the time of America’s bicentennial, then declined for nearly three decades. In 2007, the last year “Gilmore Girls” aired on TV, the organization saw an uptick in membership. Some fans of the show posted on social media that the references to DAR sparked an interest in the group. The group also credited “Gilmore Girls” with the renewed interest, but points to its genealogical and historical collections as valuable resources for would-be members. A Modern-Day DisputeLiberal critics have repeatedly accused the DAR of promoting a racially exclusive history. A 2020 book “The Daughters of the American Revolution and Patriotic Memory in the Twentieth Century” published by historian Simon Wendt accused the group of reinforcing “traditional notions of femininity and masculinity, reflecting a belief that any challenge to these conventions would jeopardize the country’s stability.” Mr. Wendt also accused it of promoting a white supremacist vision of American history. With $34 million in annual revenue from various funding streams, Ms. Reeser expressed concerns that her dues were supporting policies that she says stand in “clear opposition” to her family’s Christian faith. She said the decision to disband the Martha Laird chapter for trying to change the organization’s policy through “ordinary governance channels” has “only deepened my concern.”“Silencing organized dissent on a question of such fundamental importance to the Society’s identity is difficult to square with the free-speech principles the organization was founded to honor,” she said. “Our patriot ancestors did not accept the suppression of legitimate disagreement; they resisted it.”The DAR did not respond to The New York Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication. While Ms. Reeser told the Sun that she would “rush back in” to the DAR if it had a “change of heart,” she does not believe that is likely. She said that a few hours after she posted her letter, the DAR’s national organization sent out a “mass email” doubling down on its position regarding biological males. While the federal charter is helpful to attract potential members and donors, it comes with the tradeoff that Congress can amend the DAR’s rules. Senator Marsha Blackburn and Senator Mike Lee introduced legislation in August that would amend the DAR’s federal charter to prevent it from accepting biological male members. Ms. Blackburn said in a statement when the bill was introduced that the DAR’s founders would be “appalled that the organization is now allowing biological males to become members and undermine the legacy of real women who helped build our nation.”After the Martha Laird chapter was disbanded, the Tennessee senator wrote on X that if the DAR “reject[s] biological reality,” it does not “deserve” its federal charter.

Award-Winning Poet Resigns From the Daughters of the American Revolution Over Its Refusal To Block Biological Males

Award-Winning Poet Resigns From the Daughters of the American Revolution Over Its Refusal To Block Biological Males

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