I was a member of Sharon Gans' group for nearly 9 years from 1988 to 1997. I would very much like the opportunity to speak with other former members of this group.

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I was a member of Sharon Gans' group for nearly 9 years from 1988 to 1997. I would very much like the opportunity to speak with other former members of this group.

Hi Richard,
I was a member of the Gans group for less than a year in 1985. The main reason I left was that a fellow member of the group I'd become friends with had a breakdown in my apartment while we were doing some reading for class together. She'd expressed that she wanted to leave the group, but feared for her life/soul if she were to leave. I became alarmed by the manner in which she expressed this to me and was able to convince her to contact her parents, who came for her and soon afterward got her professional help.

I too sought out professional help, since I fell into a deep depression soon after leaving and getting shunned by the group.

Although I was only in the group relatively briefly, it was nonetheless a deeply scarring experience. Besides counseling, perhaps the thing that helped me most to cope with leaving was reading James Webb's [i:b3ba01603c]The Harmonious Circle[/i:b3ba01603c] re the notorious Gurdjieff. That book helped me "deprogram" myself from the group's ideology quite a bit.

Best wishes to you, Richard. I hope that you receive as much support as you need to deal with the aftereffects of your long-term involvement with the Gans group.

Regards,
Jeanne

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jeannelucille

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I was a member of Sharon Gans' group for nearly 9 years from 1988 to 1997. I would very much like the opportunity to speak with other former members of this group.

Hi Richard,
I was a member of the Gans group for less than a year in 1985. The main reason I left was that a fellow member of the group I'd become friends with had a breakdown in my apartment while we were doing some reading for class together. She'd expressed that she wanted to leave the group, but feared for her life/soul if she were to leave. I became alarmed by the manner in which she expressed this to me and was able to convince her to contact her parents, who came for her and soon afterward got her professional help.

I too sought out professional help, since I fell into a deep depression soon after leaving and getting shunned by the group.

Although I was only in the group relatively briefly, it was nonetheless a deeply scarring experience. Besides counseling, perhaps the thing that helped me most to cope with leaving was reading James Webb's [i:5ff6598118]The Harmonious Circle[/i:5ff6598118] re the notorious Gurdjieff. That book helped me "deprogram" myself from the group's ideology quite a bit.

Best wishes to you, Richard. I hope that you receive as much support as you need to deal with the aftereffects of your long-term involvement with the Gans group.

Regards,
Jeanne

Thank you, Jeanne. I actually feel myself to be on remarkably good footing, all things considered. I'm glad we both made it out.

~Richard

Richard:

I was in the group from the early 90s until about 1998. I don't recall a "Richard" in the class, although there was a "Richard-David" (not really, but they convinced him to use the silly hyphenated name), with a British accent. Oops, is that you?

In any case, I'd be happy to speak with you, I just don't know how to make contact, and I don't think personal info can be posted. Perhaps if you PM me with a way to contact you and I remember to log in and check messages.... I usually only do that once every few months, but I'll try to check back more often.

For the most part, I haven't found commiseration with other ex-members very helpful, but hey, you never know. Maybe you're normal.

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I was a member of Sharon Gans' group for nearly 9 years from 1988 to 1997. I would very much like the opportunity to speak with other former members of this group.

There were two New York groups in the Sharon Gans school. I was in a Tues./Thurs. group. Since you do not remember me, I strongly suspect you wer in the Mond./Wed. group. I want to find erstwhile emebers of my group because I was quite fond of many of them; I have no interest in commiseration.

~Richard

This is to Richard Condon. I'm new to this set-up and not sure how to navigate - hope it gets to the right place. I was in the group with you for many years (I was there when you joined) and would be happy to be in touch. When I log enough posts, I'll send you a private message.

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exiled
This is to Richard Condon. I'm new to this set-up and not sure how to navigate - hope it gets to the right place. I was in the group with you for many years (I was there when you joined) and would be happy to be in touch. When I log enough posts, I'll send you a private message.

Hello. I just saw your reply. I do not remember Dr. Dose, but I'll keep trying to jog my memory. I'm a bit sketchy on site navigation as well, and hope this response finds you. I do not have the necessary 10 posts required to send a private message, but I will try to send one to you via another member, who you would also know. Hope to be in touch soon.

~Richard

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isidora3
Hello-- I and several friends currently work as temps for the Taylor Hodson staffing agency, which has been linked on this website to followers of Sharon Gans. Can anyone confirm that Minerva Taylor, Cynthia May, or Suzanne Griffiths, employees of TH, are members or followers? I am Black and horrified that my association with them may be funding a (presumably) racist and homophobic organization. I'm probably not a huge asset to them but so many people work with temp agencies via word of mouth and I would hate to refer anyone else to them. Just looking for a little more insight before I confront them-- and I will be doing that...Thanks.

Hi Isadora,
Just wondering how things have turned out for you. If it isn't too personal a matter, and you have a moment, I'd be very interested to know.
Regards,

~Richard

Richard,

I said it was a long shot... Anyway, I look forward to when we can somehow be in touch. I have only been in contact with a few people, and only recently.

Funny that Sharon Gans has a staffing agency. So does Robert Burton's Fellowship of friends! Sharons' former husband, Alex Horn, was Burton's "teacher" before Burton founded the Fellowship of Friends.

I've never heard of Gans or Horn being racist, but I know they do discriminate against homosexuals. Rosie O'Donnell can attest to that.

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'Reverse Religious' Bias
Claim Can Go to Trial

An employee who contended that she was not promoted because her supervisor favored members in a religious group should have been granted a trial on her claim against Kelly Services Inc. for reverse religious discrimination, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled May 29 (Noyes v. Kelly Servs. Inc., 9th Cir., No. 04-17050, 5/29/07).

Lynn Noyes claimed that she was passed over for promotion because a supervisor was a member of a small religious group, the Fellowship of Friends, and that he "repeatedly favored and promoted other Fellowship members." Noyes was not a member.

Not a 'Protected Class' Case

Ordinarily, to establish a religious discrimination case under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, an employee has to show that he or she is in a "protected class," the court said.

However, "Noyes does not claim that she was part of a protected class, i.e., that she adheres to a particular religion," the court said.

"Rather, her claim is that her lack of adherence to the religious beliefs promoted by the management of Kelly Services was the genesis of the discrimination," the court said.

"The Tenth Circuit's discussion on this point is instructive," the court said, citing Shapolia v. Los Alamos National Laboratory, 992 F.2d 1033, (10th Cir. 1993). In that case, "the court reasoned that the 'protected class' showing required in a traditional race or sex discrimination claim does not apply to this type of non-adherence or reverse religious discrimination claim because it is the religious beliefs of the employer, and the fact that the employee does not share them, that constitute the basis of the religious discrimination claim," the court explained.

"The central issue in this case is whether Noyes's evidence was sufficient to raise a triable issue of fact as to pretext," the court said. Kelly Services stated, as a nondiscriminatory, legitimate reason for not promoting Noyes, that management reached a consensus decision to promote another employee. Noyes argued that the reason was a pretext for religious bias, the court said.

Noyes presented specific, substantial evidence that undermined the credibility of the Kelly Services' reasons for not promoting her, the court decided. Her "overarching complaint is that membership in the Fellowship permeated the promotion process and that [William] Heinz, a Fellowship member and ultimate decision-maker, exercised his supervisory authority in favor of Fellowship members," it said.

Noyes presented evidence that she was more qualified than the fellowship member promoted, the appeals court noted. She had been on the job six years longer and had a master of business administration degree. She also showed that Heinz told other employees that she was not interested in the promotion and, as a result, she was not fully considered, the court said.

"Based on this evidence, a reasonable factfinder could conclude that religiously-motivated discrimination was behind Heinz's promotion" of the fellowship member, the court said.

Noyes also demonstrated that Heinz showed favoritism toward a junior, less qualified fellowship member, paying the other employee $4,000 a year more than he paid Noyes, the court added. Further, Noyes offered evidence that Heinz repeatedly brought in fellowship members as temporary contractors, the court said.

In addition, she presented statistics to support her claim of favoritism toward fellowship members in hiring and promotion, it said.

"Although we agree that this statistical evidence standing alone was insufficient to raise a triable issue of fact, coupled with Noyes's other evidence, the numerical picture buttressed Noyes's challenge that Kelly Services' proffered reasons for its promotion decision were a pretext for unlawful discrimination," the appeals court said, reversing the lower court's dismissal and sending the case back for reconsideration.