American Mensa Ltd. -Sin, degradation, gluttony, low living, drunkenness Arlington, Texas

 Just when we thought you jealous losers had gone away, here you are again to whine about a silly Seattle rape nobody wants to hear about. Anyone who hasn't been to Mensa of Western Washington in years has no right to comment. Our sexy regional gathering last year, headed by Tracey Guice and Felice Nightengale, was the best event we've had since that we showed the door to that crybaby. For those who missed out: it all started Friday afternoon at the DoubleTree SeaTac with our market vendors offering a wide selection of cannabis, paraphernalia, liquor, sex toys and a host of other products, all to start the weekend off with a bang! Next was a lecture and product demonstration from sex toy shop Babes in Toyland. Following that was lecture on the sexy swinging lifestyle along with a live sadomasochistic sex demonstration from adult entertainment star Allena Gabosch. Her sex club, The Wet Spot, is home to several famous alums, from Gary "Green River Killer" Ridgeway to serial rapist and sadistic kidnapper John Joseph Hauff! And that was just on Friday! Missed out? Don't worry, we want you to come and come and come again! Our next Regional Gathering is April 6-8, 2018 at the Red Lion in Bellevue, WA! Many, many thanks to our volunteers Mark Glancey, John Gray, Traca Savadogo, CathyRaye Hyland, Robert Hyland, Michelle Rakshys, Angela Kokinakos, Julia Shozen, Greg "Debarijit" Chandra, SueAnn Gilmore, Joel Green, Andras Blake, Torri Juditth Brown, Del Dawn Lausa, Richard Ke'aumoana Chung, Claire Cavanah, Katie Pennella, Yale Balotin, Janet Catherine "JC" Smyth Chupack, Scott Chupack, Jennifer Carter Wise and Steven Wise. We will thank all our attendees some other time here. Don't worry, this bud's for all of you!

Nothing new. I belonged to Mensa of Western Washington from the early 1980s through the early 1990s. A woman was raped at an event. It was common knowledge in the group and nobody tried to deny that it was a rape. The attacker was defended anyway and the victim was told in no uncertain terms that she was no longer welcome.
Some MWW members who were disgusted by what happened left immediately, while some stuck around for a few  years and tried to improve the group until they finally realized nothing would change. Everyone who wasn't part of running off the victim eventually quit.

Some of those who drove the woman off are still active and are listed as current leaders and hosts. If you're in MWW, beware of any member who was in the chapter back then or who is vague about their years of involvement.

Last year, Mensa and its membership officer (Stephanie Link Thornton, the proud Mensan who was on ABC's reality show Glass House) conducted an official survey of thousands of members and ex-members to determine why membership keeps dropping. The results were clear but nothing has changed. Some quotes about "Mensa's biggest problem" from those who responded are below.

"Its apparent inability to deal with members who behave inappropriately. Some of the things I've seen in the last couple years, both online and in person, have appalled me."

"I know WAY too many good members who are leaving the organization after having been harassed online without consequence from the organization."

"A way to get rid of nasty people who spend their time trying to destroy others. :( "

"I think it is time to have a formal and enforceable process to name and put a stop to harassment in person or on social media. It is a serious problem throughout the organization. It is time to deal with it."

"Allow the local sec to eliminate one trouble maker per year if they can collect 25 signatures. Ban person for 3 years."

"Implement a code of conduct with the ability to expel problem members."

"The mean-spirited attitude which seems to permeate the membership."

"Expel toxic members for the safety of beneficial members. It is financially detrimental to retain toxic members."

"Make it easier to exclude trouble makers from events."

"Make it easier to "discipline" problem members, especially at the local level"

"I would institute a reasonable, common sense, bullying and harassment policy. Both for live events and for online interactions. This is the only club I know of where bad behaviouris not corrected in any way, to the detriment of the organization. Most organizations have them, and all other group gatherings (Cons, LARPS, Professional development weekends, etc) have these."

"Stop tolerating toxic behaviors. Eradicate this pervasive notion that every member has a right to pollute the common spaces."

"There needs to be accountability for those that harass and bully other members either in person or online. There is no other organization that I am a part of that allows the behaviors that are allowed in Mensa. "

Interesting that this comment was posted (verbatem) to a local Washington state mental health professional's smear campaign. Obviously it was an accident. But that begs the question; why would someone travel far from home to go to a doctor that you would normally be visiting often?

"If you do learn about their attendance at other Mensa events in the future, please post a warning here. Back to the truce."
Daniel Gilmore didn't attend events during his wife SueAnn Gilmore's Mensa Regional Vice Chair campaign because they both realized he was a political liability. Now that the election's over, he's attending again. 

Why air Mensa of Western Washington's dirty laundry here? When someone sexually harasses you at a gathering, you should talk to the gathering director Angela Kokinakos. When someone sexually harasses you by email, you should contact our group president CathyRaye Hyland.

Ripoff Report should be thanked for hosting this conversation here, but Daniel Gilmore and his friend Mike Ganopoulos/Gino Polkamouse are also owed gratitude for starting this topic more than two years ago. 

Old news. Women have always been harassed by creepy old men in Mensa.

Do not tell SueAnn Gilmore any Mensa business that you want to be kept confidential. Some members allege  that her husband Daniel constantly monitors her email and phone.

Mensa and its members are never going to touch the harassment problem. They'd rather distract themselves with insignificant debates. They've spent the past four months making a big ruckus over some Chicago Mensans who marched in the Gay Pride parade while wearing Mensa t-shirts. Literally thousands of angry online posts in Mensa forums directed at the marchers, hundreds of anti-gay posts, two meetings at the national headquarters about it, and dozens of attorneys in the group weighing in with their "expert" opinions. All of this for the past four months. Literally no discussion on Mensa forums about why women are leaving the group at a high rate.

E.J. quit Mensa and says she won't be going back.

K.J., your female relative's story is not an unsual one. Year after year we see young women quit American Mensa after being harassed. Mensa's own published statistics show that the group is now 66 percent male and only 33 percent female. Women are more likely than men to volunteer for Mensa, so losing women often means losing valuable voluinteer hours. Then Mensa leaders wonder why it's so hard to get volunteers, and why so much money is spent on marketing but membership doesn't increase.  Mensa, you had them and lost them.

This website came up when I Googled Mensa. My family was considering joining. Thank you to the posters and the website for this inside look at Mensa. We'll find another group.

 

You Seattle Mensans are such amateurs! In Greater New York Mensa, one of our "problem members," Steven Finkelstein, assaulted and harassed our female members into paying his rent for him. Our local and national leaders knew about it and did absolutely nothing. It finally took the legal system to do something about this predator, because we already know that Mensa never will. (Then Mensa wonders why it has such a poor membership growth and retention rate.)

http://www.nysun.com/new-york/former-member-of-mensa-is-convicted-of-welfare/27212/

 

 

FYI: other safe and friendly groups for Seattle Mensans are the Eastside Movie Night and the Port Townsend Lunch Bunch. (Don't confuse the Eastside night with the downtown Seattle Movie Night, which is run by the old attorney whose bullying drove some people off the local online group a few months ago. The Gilmores are invited to his Seattle event.)

Yes to the truce and appreciation to RipOff, but with a warning. If a woman is trying to avoid "Papa Perv" and his obedient Gilmore Girl, she may have to stay away from more than just the Seattle U-District TGIF. The host of that event also hosts the annual summer picnic, so they're probably welcome there too. The "bully" attorney mentioned in other posts definitely goes to both events and all of them attend the Regional Gathering. The Gilmores also attend the national Annual Gathering every year. None of them are said to be seen very often lately at the Seattle games nights, women's group, monthly gathering or suburban TGIFs.

The advice given lately to members new to the Seattle group is to avoid the events whose majority of attendees are over age 55, because they're the ones who have pushed this problem along for decades. If you don't want to use that standard, just ask the host listed with the event if the Gilmores attend.

If you do learn about their attendance at other Mensa events in the future, please post a warning here. Back to the truce.

Yes, a truce, as well as appreciation to RipOff Report, are both good ideas. These days, Daniel Gilmore is welcome at just one recurring Mensa of Western Washington event: the Friday evening seniors drinking group held at the Deca Hotel lounge in Seattle ("TGIF"). The "bully" attorney referenced earlier also attends that one regularly. At our other MWW events, you can meet some safe, respectful, friendly and interesting people.

A truce is in order, but first, a big thank you is owed to RipOff Report from the women of Mensa of Western Washington and the men who care about them. Our leaders were embarrassed by this website and had a meeting in Tacoma with Daniel Gilmore, openly airing the complaints and then warning him to stop harassing and bullying people. His wife SueAnn was at his side defending him as she always does. It was strictly a verbal reprimand that probably doesn't amount to much officially, but it was decades overdue. The ability to speak freely and without fear here made it happen.

This page has brought more awareness of harassment in general to the Western Washington chapter, and how it has driven away members. Our newsletter even spoke of the problem for the first time, and two women shared their stories there. No formal progress has been made locally or nationally, but maybe that will be considered eventually.

Thank you again to RipOff and also to the current Mensa of Western Washington leaders. Time will tell if there is a lasting effect. If not, we can always come back here. For now, closure and moving ahead are in order. Truce accepted.

 

Thank you for informing us of the history of Seattle Mensa, but we're aware now and this topic doesn't need to continue here. I request a truce between all parties and an end to the posts here. Thank you in advance.

SueAnn Gilmore has lived in Seattle and gone to that chapter's events for at least 20 years, but her Mensa membership is actually with the San Francisco chapter. It's an apparent loophole known by Mensa old-timers as "preferencing out." San Francisco gets the money for SueAnn's membership but their leaders are unlikely to know or act on what allegedly happens in Seattle. The Seattle chapter has to pay from its own funds if they rent meeting space to air complaints about the Gilmores. Seattle members have been told that she cannot drive at night, so "somebody" has to take her to Mensa.

 

The first post that got this ball rolling is funny but not pure fiction. Starting in the 60s, San Francisco Regional Mensa helped plan a popular annual gathering at the Asilomar Conference Center. It was known nationwide as the best orgy in Mensa. If you liked taking vows and floggings with your sex, there were several rooms for that. "Hell's Ms" founder Gary Porter got his nickname "Skinner" for his whipping talent. There was a goat on a leash brought by a member of the Mensa environmental special interest group, Windward.

The management at the conference center changed sometime around 2000 and did not want the liability of having the event there. The gathering "officially" ended and San Francisco Regional Mensa denies their involvement with it. If you still want sex with whips and vows, stop by the Hell's Ms suite at the Annual Gathering.

I know Daniel Gilmore and he doesn't smoke tobacco. The hotel for the Annual Gathering in Texas, Worthington Renaissance Hotel, is non-smoking. That lighter he was carrying in the Hell's Ms suite in Fort Worth was probably not for Marlboros.

FYI: The hotel for the Annual Gathering this year in Louisville, Galt House Hotel, is also non-smoking. Kentucky has some of the strictest drug possession laws in the country. It won't get us good publicity if the husband of a potential Mensa leader gets arrested for drugs, groping or fighting at our Annual Gathering.

Such as cyberstalking a woman last summer?

 

 

 

The women's group's confidentiality rule is in our calendar listing and from the beginning we have always reminded guests, including you, of it at every meeting. "Adult women only, confidentiality required."

Here's what really happened in the Hell's Ms suite in Texas from someone who was actually there. Hell's Ms is where we Mensans go at the Annual Gathering to get wasted and find partners for no-strings sex. Most of the time that's what we do without drama.

Daniel Gilmore harassed a Vietnam Veteran in Mensa for several years and they met up in the suite. "Veteran" was wearing a t-shirt with an American flag and a visible handgun on his hip. Daniel approached the man and held his lighter under the flag shirt. Veteran told him to stop. Daniel didn't stop. Onlookers told him to stop several times. Daniel didn't stop. Veteran pushed Daniel's hand away. Daniel again held his lighter under the Veteran's shirt. Veteran tapped the gun on his hip. He did not pull the gun on Daniel.

Daniel backed off from Veteran, and the onlookers asked Daniel for his lighter so they could smoke a bowl. Instead of getting over it, he and his wife SueAnn complained to Mensa and the hotel. They wanted the Veteran kicked out of the gathering and the hotel. Both refused so then they called the police to the hotel and demanded they arrest Veteran. They refused too.

Daniel and SueAnn bothered American Mensa for several months to have Veteran kicked out of Mensa and guns banned at Mensa gatherings. Veteran didn't get kicked out, but guns are now banned. Daniel and SueAnn bragged that they were behind the ban until SueAnn began her campaign.

It's funny to read Daniel's words in this report: "You snot-nosed GenX kids may have been raised to tattle on each other and let Mom or Teacher mete out the punishment, but we adults talk things out." Tattling is what he does.

Until the last few days of shock and disbelief, Mensa has brought much joy into my life.  To think that the garbage being written here about me here, untrue garbage, is now the cause of losing a member who has probably enjoyed the company of other intelligent people is even more hurtful than the lies.  There is so much that is of benefit within Mensa and I beg you to reconsider.  Please try just one more year.  If there are significant changes in the makeup of the governing body (AMC) there will be even more to like.  Come to the AG.  Seek me out.  (I'll be there win or lose, as I have been every year since 1991.)  I'd love to talk to you one on one.

Mensa has been my Family Of Choice for nearly 40 years and many close and lasting friendships have been forged.  Several of those friends urged me to run for Regional Vice Chair of Region 8 because of my ability to get along with others and to react with reasoned calm in the midst of a storm.  Certainly that last attribute has been put to the test in the last few days when I learned of this website and the vitriol that has spewed forth here. (Thank you for not taking part in that.)

In running my campaign I've stuck to the issues facing Mensa and my goals for the organization.  The high road has always been my selected byway and that will continue no matter what.  "Transparency" has been my number one issue with our AMC, where it's been sadly lacking, and it's time for me to practice a bit of that now.

I don't do drugs nor have I ever sold any, not even an aspirin.  I've never carried drugs either.  I don't drink often either and never (within the past 45 years, anyway) to excess.  My usual alchoholic intake is 1 or 2 glasses of nice wine per week, with dinner.  I've never smoked--anything--and I pretty much keep my language pure.  I believe in Judeo-Christian ethics and try to always remember the Golden Rule and practice it.  (Try is the operative word here.)  I was a Sunday School teacher in my youth and played the piano at church on a regular basis.  I'm someone you'd like to know.

I was an English major in college and even received an A+ on my very first term paper.  From 4th grade on, only A's appeared on my report card for English.  I graduated first in my high school class, a year early.  I wrote my own candidate statement that appears on the ballot and received help from no one.  (Full disclosure:  it was a hectic time last summer and a fellow Mensan put down on paper ideas for my statement.  I changed them and made them my own.  Then I started from scratch and wrote entirely on my own the statement that you will see on the ballot.)  Writing has always come easily to me.  Trumpeting my good points has not--but I'm learning.  Writing monthly columns won't be a problem.

Never have I been kicked out of a group for lack of confidentiality--or for any other reason.  There's a long explanation about that posted on the website for Mensa of Western Washington.  ONE time I did not realize that confidentiality was required (in 1996).  I never made that mistake again.  My friends have always felt safe sharing their darkest secrets with me, knowing that they will still be secret after my days have ended.

My husband has NEVER abused me or caused me to feel in any way frightened of him.  It is my most honest opinion  that he has never physically abused any other woman.  He has spoken disparagingly of men who have done so.  He was assaulted by a woman once but never the other way around. 

More about the firearm incident on the MWW website.  I was not there.  My husband was unarmed. I did not provoke it in any way, but I was offended by the slogan on the person who had the gun:  "Try burning this, a*****e."  Quite the opposite of patriotic, in my opinion.

Oh, small matters, but neither my husband nor I have been to an RG in Oregon in the past 10 years and he was not even with me at the San Francisco/Monterey RG.  I've never been in a Hell's M meeting or in one of their hospitality suites either.

I would welcome an opportunity to discuss with those individuals who have smeared my good name any and all allegations regarding my personal behavior and my abilities to be a good RVC. This would need to be in a public forum. Tell me which post was yours and I'll tell you the true story. I will have some time available between March 25 and April 19.  (Oh, and I am not litigious or vindictive, so don't please use that as an excuse.)  You can find my email address on my campaign statement on the website, us.mensa.org.  We can arrange for that public venue if you're forthcoming.

I will be at the Sacramento RG this weekend and I am certain that a venue could be found at that event for such a discussion, so Neal in California, let me know....  I'll be taking part in a discussion about Mensa matters at 4:30 p.m.

That's it for correcting a few of the inaccurate and mean-spirited remarks that have been posted here.  I'm done with this website for good.  No more looking at it or responding to it.  It's amazing that smart people spend their time in such a non-productive manner....

The "big bully" you mentioned is an attorney. Yesterday he posted an apparent legal threat to those who openly discuss the Gilmores. Daniel Gilmore himself has threatened to sue people who truthfully complained about him. That could be why other people aren't responding.

Another MWW member here who followed the link posted today. That couple sounds unsafe. Their angry friend is making long posts insulting people who don't agree with him. He is acting like a big bully and then he keeps asking why nobody else wants to engage him.

Annual membership fees are due this month and I planned to pay mine tomorrow. The renewal form just went in the trash.

This website has been making the rounds in Mensa of Western Washington today!

A person below mentioned that SueAnn did not uphold the confidentiality rules of the local women's support group and was barred from it. That is true. Anyone who's been around MWW has been told that Daniel and SueAnn Gilmore have been considered problem members for many years.

Our older members remember when there were some angry people when they allegedly began dating each other while they were still married to others in the group. Daniel's now-ex avoids any event she thinks they will attend. She's not the only one.

 

Yes, it's true that a man in the Western Washington chapter wrote her campaign statement for her. She cannot write well. If she wins, there's no word on how she's going to write the monthly RVC column that all of the Mensa chapter newsletters in her region carry, not to mention the other paperwork that an RVC must complete regularly.

Is it true that SueAnn Gilmore didn't write her own candidate statement?

SueAnn Gilmore was barred from her local Mensa women’s support group because she didn’t uphold the confidentiality rules.

A little birdie at the San Francisco regional gathering clucked that SueAnn Gilmore didn't even write her own campaign statement or fill out the candidate paperwork. A man who's close to her did both.

A controlling male Mensan who's often looking over her shoulder wants her to be RVC so she'll parrot his bizarre ideas. The only reason he hasn't been banned from Mensa is that people are worried about SueAnn and don't want her cut off from the group.

 

.

I second my friend Neal's support of SueAnn Gilmore for RVC. Daniel and SueAnn are recreational product suppliers for our Oregon RG, now in its 50th year.

See you this May, everyone!

John, Oregon Mensa

We didn't have to wait for the Annual Gathering next summer to get hooked up by the Gilmores. They had plenty for everyone last weekend at San Francisco's Regional Gathering in Monterey. They go to a lot of other RGs too. SueAnn Gilmore, you have my vote!

Neal in California

So now everyone knows that if they want a drug fix at the Annual Gathering next year in Kentucky, they just have to find the Hell's Mensans suite and look for Dan and SueAnn Gilmore. I'm sure the druggies of Mensa appreciate the tip.

Mensa's favorite celebrity member, the late Isaac Asimov, was known for sexually harassing the women in the group. His wife covered for him. Dan and SueAnn Gilmore are just keeping an old Mensa tradition alive.

It explains a lot if the longtime apologists for Dan and SueAnn Gilmore are on drugs.

The Gilmores bring drugs to the Regional Gatherings and Annual Gatherings. It's the reason that nobody from the Hell's Mensans suite at the AG wants to officially report Dan's problems with women. Hell's Ms wants to keep  their "source."

Orange Man still attends the Mensa Annual Gatherings. He was at the Boston gathering this year.

What about the legendary "Orange Man" who sexually harassed dozens of women at the Annual Gatherings every year for several years? Is he still around? I quit Mensa.

Let's discuss solutions rather than complaints. Since the Mensa women in the Region 8/Pacific Intermountain section of the country won't feel safe reporting to SueAnn Gilmore when her husband Daniel Gilmore harasses them, who else in Mensa can they contact?

Suck it up, Seattle. Daniel Gilmore's wife SueAnn Gilmore doesn't seem to care what he does, and she's now running uncontested for your Regional Vice Chair. She's not going to do anything with your complaints about him, so don't bother.

Yikes with all these Daniel Gilmore stories. He sent several harassing emails to my female friend, who is the Seattle Mensa chapter, this past summer. She reported it but he didn't quit. A Google search led me to this page. Mensa doesn't sound like a safe group for women to join.

American Mensa markets itself as a social group that encourages people to think, so here are the views of a current member.

I reserve the right to keep anyone who doesn't have a rudimentary understanding of personal boundaries from spending significant time around my family and me.  Had an altercation with a gun at a crowded hotel last year?  At best, you’re not good friend material.  Wrote and posted a checklist for raping somebody?  Don’t want to be in the same room as you. Middle-age adult who just spent several years in prison for child rape? Will avoid social events of any size that you’re attending. 

I've been thinking about my own ethics lately because of the unaddressed violence that’s happening in the organization. It's been uncomfortable to watch so many notorious Mensa conservatives temporarily become stereotypical liberals when it comes to concealing and defending sexual predators in the group. You’ve forced me to clarify my own beliefs and what meaningful consent actually is, and here we are. I will not be renewing my membership next March.

Chris L.

The wise words of Mike Ganopoulos/Gino Polkamouse:

"Having censored fora reflects negatively on the organization. What is the role of members supposed to be in this group, besides insurance customers? I'm sure the people in Arlington would be very happy with a bunch of sheep who pay their dues and shut their mouths and the PC image expected of modern corporate America, but that's not what I signed up for."

 

 Obviously, you've not been following very closely. The debate was not about uncensored places on the internet, ever.

Reply @Jared Foote: You, Laura Smith and your friends aggressively lobbied for unmoderated spaces on the internet for Mensans to post without censorship, no matter how offensive or upsetting those ideas are. It appears that Ripoff has generously agreed to be one of those venues. Perhaps Francesca DeLuca revived this page last month for that purpose?

Does anybody have any experience with the apartments on north Dearborn street in Chicago?

The Phoenix address posted on July 18th is for the FBI headquarters. Great joke, though!

Don't be ridiculous.  If you are going to post Laura Smith's contact information for complaints to have the issue addressed, post the correct contact information:

 

21711 N 7th Street

Phoenix, AZ 85024

 

602-230-4210 

“Oh for God's sake, with the things officials of Mensa have done over the years! We've elected a man to the board of directors who once stabbed a man nearly to death in a fit of psychopathic rage. Several "accounting irregularities." Practicing alcoholics on the board, officials who have had to take leave to check into the nuthouse, and sexual harassment cases. Other officials who have been implicated in things I don't want to say.”

--Mike Ganopoulos

To those considering litigation in this issue, feel free to litigate away. Do not be intimidated, by the cowardly threats of alleged proof of things we know as a matter of fact do not exist. The very effort to intimidate you out of litigation is the proof that they have no case and fear the cleansing light of the day in court. You have proof? Post it, coward. 

How ironic will it be if the same Mensans who were loudly advocating a few days ago for Paul Keller's "right" to threaten people on Facebook turn around and attempt to censor this page? Freedom of speech on the internet doesn't just apply to the bullies on your Facebook friends list.

You have my name, I think it is time for you to prove what you claim about me.

This entire thread is just a case of severe epidermal atrophy, nothing more.

A message to those who may be considering litigation over what's been posted here.

Sexual assault court transcripts can be attained, past restraining orders between members are public record, police reports are ready, Facebook threats have already been saved, Yahoo posts are accessible, incriminating photos are widespread, employers can be summoned, involuntary mental treatment cases are on file, disturbing emails have been repeatedly backed up, newspaper stories about leaders' criminal assault charges are plentiful, abused ex-spouses are reachable, Mensa welfare fraud cases are on Google, witnesses are abundant and past members are responsive.

All of the above and more will be used in the effort to quash subpoenas and prove the allegations made. This would be a long, distressing legal process for the individuals and the organization involved, and will definitely reveal more than what has been posted here. Mensans who are embarassed in these proceedings won't thank you for it.

The paper trail is long and disturbing. Think twice about a lawsuit that will spread this and additional Mensa skeletons to more public venues.

There is nobody in the American Mensa directory named Paul Keller. Maybe he's a freeloader who isn't even a Mensa member, or your "free speech" hero himself doesn't have the conjones to threaten other Mensans on Facebook using his real name?

First of all, Laura Smith is a wonderful person, generous with her time, loyal to friends and family and kind to those that often do not deserve it. I would seriously question the character of anyone who said otherwise. By advocating Mr. Keller's reinstatement she was simply demanding that the moderators follow the rules that they themselves set forth and calling them out as hypocrites who squash the free speech of a dues paying member at the slightest bruising of an ego. Laura was not only fighting for Paul Keller's right to free speech, but for every single member of that group. The embittered gerbil who posted this slanderous pile of excrement should be grateful for her efforts.

Secondly it would require a supreme suspension of reality by a delusional individual to believe that what Paul Keller posted was anything akin to an actual threat. True, he uses rather colorful language and is crude to those that deserve it, but his missives should not be shocking to any fan of South Park or to any adult who has actually spent some time in the real world beyond their safety bubbles and security blankets. Paul's posts are thought provoking, intelligent, witty and entertaining. I agree wholeheartedly with his suggested fantasy-punishment for anyone who would seek to control, limit, censor the free thoughts or expressions of any other human being in an unmoderated facebook environment (Or anywhere else), espcially when blocking functions are available for those who are thin-skinned. The idea of being subjugated by thought police is to me equally intolerable, if not more so, than what Mr. Keller suggested.

I would like to address the following statement:

"In June, a longtime sexually antagonistic Mensan, Paul Keller, was temporarily suspended from the moderated American Mensa Facebook page after threatening to use a sandpaper glove to anally rape another Mensan."

This is a blatant lie. Even taken out of context, what said was not a threat of anal rape any more than telling someone to "go piss up a rope" is a threat of forced Urolagnia.

What Paul posted did not violate Facebook's Terms of Service (it was not hate speech, a threat, etc.), but someone was offended by the language that he used. Instead of simply hiding Paul's post, or sending him a message asking him to remove the post, or blocking him (which are the options recommended by Facebook), a few people started a campaign to get Paul blocked and force moderation on the American Mensa page.

“There were literally thousands of posts on the page from members protesting Keller's suspension and defending his behavior."

This anonymous person is confusing “defending his behavior” with “defending his right to free speech.”  The gist of Paul’s statement was completely unrelated to anything sexual, and his point was valid.  He may have used crude language to convey his message, but by no means was it threatening.  Many of us defended him because he was being censored for his position on a topic, not his behavior.  Why?  Because as an intellectual society, we have conversations on many hot-button topics – gun control, abortion, immigration, global warming, religion, assisted suicide, child vaccinations, genetic engineering, and so on.  Those of us defending him saw that the real issue was his stance was not seen favorably by a few, so they used a complaint about his language as an excuse to have him silenced.

Obviously, people have different thresholds for what they consider offensive.  Eventually, it was decided to create two different forums; one would follow only Facebook’s Terms of Service, and the other would be moderated by Mensa.  Laura Smith worked very hard to try and mend fences on this issue.  She wasn’t the most vocal person on the topic, she just happened to be the most visually identifiable.  Out of all the people who were involved, I really have no idea why she would be the one targeted for this libel.

I am amember of American Mensa and the content of this "report" is utter garbage, unfounded accusations with no supporting evidence whatsoever. And posting of personal contact information of of a private citizen. That this is allowed to stand is a disgrace.  Laura has volunteered tirelessly for the betterment of Mensa and to have her good name maligned in this fashion is sickening.

Laura Smith is one of Mensa's finest leaders! She should be congratulated for her aggressive defense of "sexually antagonistic" men and freedom of internet speech. If you'd like to thank her directly, below is her contact information. Ms. Smith is also at most of Tucson Mensa's events if you'd like to show your gratitude to her there.

3457 W. Wing Tip Drive
Marana, AZ 85658-4691

(602) 820-3352

laurad1023@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/LauraD1023?fref=ts

http://www.tucson.us.mensa.org/

Laura Smith and Paul Keller are interesting bedfellows.

In June, a longtime sexually antagonistic Mensan, Paul Keller, was temporarily suspended from the moderated American Mensa Facebook page after threatening to use a sandpaper glove to anally rape another Mensan. There were literally thousands of posts on the page from members protesting Keller's suspension and defending his behavior.

Laura Smith, who is the local president and public relations director of Tucson Mensa, helped successfully lead an "I am Paul Keller" campaign to have him immediately reinstated to the online group. She encouraged other Mensans to hassle the women who allegedly complained about Keller, along with the moderator who suspended him. This is apparently not the first time she has been part of such an effort. Keller returned to the page and has recently made threats to another Mensan.

It's not a huge secret that Francesca DeLuca and Mike Ganopoulos/Gino Polkamouse were a couple. Jailbirds of a feather hook up together.
What a high-quality dating pool Mensa has, right?

"Frannie" sounds a lot like Francesca DeLuca from Bay Shore, New York. She had a big confrontation with another Mensan at this year's annual gathering, and the Boston police had to be called. She spends a lot of time on Mensa forums talking about how she wants ugly and fat people to die.

Frannie, your posts are confusing. You "support" what?

a) Gino's written checklist for raping a fellow Mensan?

b) Daniel Gilmore's hostile confrontation of another Mensan, involving a firearm, at the Annual Gathering in Texas last year?

c) Jon McFarland's child rape convictions?

d) All of the above?

I support you and "happy" gilmore and they can poke her mouse anytime she (even subconsciously) lets them.

meanwhile, jonny, I am offended you did not contact me. please do so. Long Island thinks it'd be so cool to see you in boston.

As for the original poster over a year ago...  who cares....

I'm 60 yrs old, in GNYM 30+yrs, a life member a Hell's Mensan, and happen to know Gino personally.  He told me he had a big d*** and I told him he was too young.  He happens to be a nice fellow, and I have NEVER had ANY problems interacting with him.

We all know that any sub-culture is a microcosm of the real world. Gals have sex, are ashamed, then cry rape. Guys get some gals wasted, and take the train ride.  I have witnessed some x-rated stuff through the years and in my heyday I have "been there done that".  There's a lot of low self-esteem causing the people to permit themselves to play the victim, and there's a lot of desperation causing people to get into sketchy predicaments.

I am as bigoted and narrowminded as Gino, and this is due to personal preferences; because I KNOW MYSELF and can deeply and profoundly accept myself for what I am, and I stand up for my beliefs.  I have been known to get temporarily blocked from the American Mensa Facebook page, too.  It's also not my job to mother someone else's malfunctioning offspring.  I will advise some naive women, but WTF do you think Skinner's  Hell's Mensans had going on in those hottubs???   Behavior modification, sex waaaay beyond vanilla BDSM et cetera.

I have dragged a few wasted women out of positions when they have not been capable of saying the "safe" word, and have physically wrenched away a couple of women from lecherous men.  I have also screamed at a guy about groping gals in elevators.  (((REDACTED INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT))) No matter.

Go looking for what you want, and you WILL get it.

Mike/Gino’s defender could not have been “JonnyRhino” because “I” wasn’t released from prison until the end of July.  Moreover, I would be the last person to defend ANYONE’s inappropriate behavior especially if it is illicit.  I recall discussions with Mike/Gino in which I felt he had crossed the line of proper conduct, and he was warned to watch his comments.  If the group moderators have banned him then they have done their job.  An allegation of rape at an AG is an issue for American Mensa and the local authorities to handle.  The alleged victim has the right to remain anonymous, and that right should be respected.

 

In my case, Mensa had no action to take as my “alleged” victim was not a Mensa member nor did the “alleged” activities take place at a Mensa function/event. 

 

Apparently, some of you don’t know me.  If you did, you would know that my reputation within Mensa is above reproach.  Try asking someone who actually knows me.  I was not known as a D.O.M. or a pervert, so please don’t blame me for your “creepy” Mensa experience.

 

For the record, even though I’ve been convicted and I have served prison time, I maintain my innocence and I will continue to fight my unjust conviction.   

 

Jon McFarland aka “JonnyRhino”

I think what you just said is true. I really don't know what I'm talking about. All I did is repeat a very old (20 yrs?) and well circulated story about Cathy which I have no way to prove and that really had no business being posted here.

Can you be an honest man and admit you did the same thing to Mike? With one exception, a man named Jonny who was convicted of a crime in a courtroom and served his time, everything said about every person in this so-called report is the rankest hearsay and rumor.

And I hereby anonymously request a truce between all parties to this flame war which does nothing good and brings disrepute to every member of Mensa by association.

So "BHO", you're making some allegations against a woman, who may or may not be Mike's accuser, but you're not giving up your own name. If anonymous posters are "weaker than weak," wouldn't that also apply to you?  Then again, your credibility is weak, because the woman you named does attend Boston events regularly, and she is also helping to plan next year's Annual Gathering in Boston.

Your accusations that the woman is mentally ill also don't help your case, considering that, statistically,  mentally ill women are nearly three times as likely to be raped than women are not mentally ill.  If what you said about her mental status is true, you're actually strengthening the case against Mike. Oops?

Hey "Brian" no one needs to prove they DON'T have a criminal conviction to any anonymous jerk on the net who has a finger to type an allegation with. Dan doesn't, Mike doesn't, and you don't either. If you are claiming someone is a convicted sex offender there is a registry for that and everyone is encouraged to check it.

But the person who long ago made rape accusations in Mensa is not anonymous. Her name is Cathy Novick. She lives in Waltham MA. I think Mike can prove he has a squeaky clean record to anyone who asks him in person. But I'm not so sure about Cathy Novick given her record of false reports and of lewdness. Her record of being in a mental institution and the horrible reason she was fired from a job working with vulnerable people are private, but the lewdness and related repulsive behavior she shared with Mensans and that is one of the reasons she was banned from events by Boston Mensa.

Where are you getting your information that Mike Ganopoulos was cleared of the rape charges?  From Mike himself? According to the woman involved, Ganopoulos lawyered-up to get his sentencing reduced to fines, probation and mandatory anger-management counseling. It may be true that he didn't serve prison time, but that's not the same thing as being cleared of the charges.

Check out the March Mensa Bulletin. There is an ad for an advocacy and social group for sex offenders, Past Walls. Maybe the Bulletin editor Roger Brooks meant to be funny when he put it on page 69?

Past Walls spent their advertising dollars well. Mensa is fertile recruiting ground for a pervert club.

I think you have hit the nail on the head and answered your own alleged question of why alleged Mensa doesn't allegedly do anything about these alleged individuals who allegedly prey on alleged victims.

It's because you and the people making these allegations in this forum have no credibility. Everybody with a brain knows that allegations made on a forum like this one where anyone can claim to be anyone and say anything can't be taken seriously. Being you would choose to use a forum like this one to attack Mensa and the people in it anonymously proves to me that in Mensa among the people who know you you have even less credibility than a random, anonymous poster on a scammer's website. This slum is a step up for you, when it would be a step down for any decent person. Sorry, but I would believe the Nigerian general with the $150 million he wants to transfer into my bank account before I would believe you.

I happen to know the people you are defaming here and in that respect I know you are lying. There is no contest between their credibility and yours. There are a few odd members who probably do have mental problems and do scare people with their socially unacceptable behavior. And this includes: YOU, and whoever else is writing these ridiculous things here. Do you really think libeling people and repeating hateful false allegations on a bathroom wall isn't as crazy and scary as the guy in the orange suit who is obnoxious with women? We would get more mileage out of throwing you out of Mensa than him.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Anthony Lash yet. He's a D.O.M. (Dirty Old Mensan) who hassles women who are one-third his age and then they never come back. He doesn't even pay his dues but he hangs around Oregon Mensa and the national Mensa groups anyway.  Great, so paying members are run off by a non-paying one!

 Don't expect any help if Athony hassles you at the Oregon Regional Gathering. The RG Chair Jeff Fisher has his own alleged problems with women's boundaries, and the Regional Vice Chair John Recht has a history of blowing off harassment complaints. Then everyone wonders why attendance is down.  What a mess.

CincyPA: Wrong, it's not Ripoff Report that's harming Mensa's
reputation. The ones trashing Mensa's reputation are its sleazy
characters, the local leaders who ignore repeated complaints, and the
paid national administrators in Texas who are too gutless to acknowledge
the problems. This website has provided a venue in which these
festering issues can finally be aired.

Even if no change comes from all this, this conversation has already helped to identify some
allegedly predatory individuals, assure some alleged victims they're not
alone, inform the general public, and even educate a few potential
recruits. Ripoff Report should be thanked for helping to make that
happen.

U can blow that theory out of the water as I am not female and not "skinny." I see what I see, although ur ASSumed qualification "skinny" is not my word to describe good looking. Fat arses run off GOOD LOOKING women because they hate them. Listen to the constant ragging and trashing of hot women. Look at who is in the room when this happens. UR fooling Urself if U think good looking women are in abundance at Mensa gatherings. Ask the fatties. U will hear the same tired reasons they hate on good looking women.

"Creepers" touch, kiss, hang and s****.> Herein the reason we have the members we have and the subject of this public display. Smart people come in every shape and size. Mensans come in degrees of ugly and fat. The vast majority of active members fit the description of morbidly obese, socially inept losers. Mensa has business and social problems that will not be remedied nor given adequate discussion time on an anonymous board, but fatty abundance is not disputed because it is established fact. Ugliness alone is another discussion.

Although lookers are RUN OFF, the club entertains us and we continue to pay dues and attend the same gatherings year after year because we accept this state of affairs. We are in agreement that this conversation at the Ripoff report is not helping our reputation. Nor is it attracting desirable new members, though I will sleep tonight as I did not start it. It was the purpose of my original post to warn against this. Alas, I have given in to the other anonymous posters to publicly display the truth in Mensa.

Well, with Mensa offering all these great examples of manhood such as Mike Ganopoulos, "Jonny Rhino" and Daniel Gilmore, I just can't imagine why all the top supermodels aren't flocking to Mensa.  How can you resist them, ladies?

What's the matter Cincy? Bitter that the guys weren't worshipping your skinny a** and ignoring what you call fattys? Funny, my friends in Mensa come in all shapes and sizes and yet there is no problems between larger people and skinny people. We accept that we are all different, all smart and we manage to gave a good time without judging people.

The fatties drive off good looking women. Want to see real harassment? Watch a hot woman walk in and look at the fatties scowling and b*tch talking about her. Pissed off fat arses ruin Mensa as much as old creeper men. If fat a**es would play nice, Mensa would have more good looking women. Ask the ones who quit and they tell you it was the mean fatties.

Hey AX, it's too bad that you didn't stay in Mensa, assuming you were ever really a member in the first place.  Your angry and sophomoric rants would have made you fast friends with Mike Ganopoulos and Daniel Gilmore. What a trio you'd make.

ya i used to be in Mensa but i quit because the girls were all fat whales. guys were mostly fagz too.

that's why you have to write all this gay sh1t, it's because you don't have real lives. you only think youre smart. youre not smart enough to lose weight.

Listen up, you "snot-nosed GenX kids." "Morons," even! You should be grateful when a boorish provocateur slathers you with racial slurs, homophobic invectives and crude insults! Why? Because Daniel Gilmore says so! Kids, be thankful that Daniel Gilmore has graced you with his assessment that you are foolishly being "OH!-so-politically correct." And here you thought you were merely being considerate toward other human beings.

Mensa of Western Washington must be so proud of their philosopher king. All hail Daniel "Papa Perv" Gilmore!

Oh, how I know Daniel Gilmore from the Mensa "TGIF" bar group in Seattle. A little over a year ago there, he and I minced words. I had him on the ropes in five seconds. He started to take it out on his wife, "SA". Right in front of everyone.

So much for "they're only WORDS." When he loses in a war of words, he gets really belligerent.
 
He abandoned ship and gave up, and made it clear that he'd rather be my boy than challenge me in the future. Then, he started getting really disrespectful to SA, who was sitting next to him. The old trope of, "I started trouble, and got a lesson, now I'll take it out on someone weaker." SA looked scared of him.
 
That particular occasion, he got snide and cruel toward SA. Snappy. I learned later from a regular there that I had been deliberately seated that night between him and a woman he had bothered in the past. A number of women avoid the events he attends altogether because he won't take a clear NO for an answer. He's been this way in the group since at least the 1980s, perhaps longer. His previous wife "C", who is also in Mensa, told me that he was physically abusive and he broke in C's house after they'd split.

No wonder SA looked so scared of him. Several people have noticed that she wears long sleeves even when it's not cold. Wonder if she's hiding something?

At least the *initial* post discussed people in solidarity being excited about the gathering! Given that we usually are, it was a better representation of our group than the rest of this thread. Vitriol is not a social skill. . . .

This conversation makes me think that the next AG should have presentations on corsets, thrifty living, wedding traditions, goat cheese, self defense, and nursing homes. We can make it happen. :-)

Of course you frat boys will stick up for one another! You're all alike! Always patting each other on the back with your jokes and having a beer. And you think these things are funny. And when we complain Mensa does nothing. What is it going to take?

You don't know what its like to be a plus-sized woman in Mensa having to be afraid of the gropers and the sexist scum who defend them. And the frat boys laughing and acting like its no big deal. And you want me to tell you who I am. Why, so that the child rapist can come and get me or Gino can punch me? When I complained to Mensa and asked them to do something they treated me like I was crazy. I am seriously afraid when I go to RGs now.

...and neither is the infamous Mike Ganopolous, a.k.a. Gino Polkamouse.  However, it seems we're the only ones who are not.  For those who don't recognize "Daniel from Seattle" (the very first post after the original "Mensa is free" diatribe) I'm Daniel Gilmore; my Mensa membership number is 1021717.

At LEAST on the Yahoo! elists we know each other...and we don't spout innuendo NEARLY as much as I've seen it here the last few days.  A few posts ago someone said the "rape victim" had shed her anonymity, yet I still don't know who she is/was.  We get a link to an "age-restricted" site (I'm not that young anymore, than God) but still no open posting.

TWO THINGS: I will never believe anything posted here if it's posted anonymously.  You snot-nosed GenX kids may have been raised to tattle on each other and let Mom or Teacher mete out the punishment, but we adults talk things out.  Mike has shown himself to be an adult far more than the OH!-so-politically correct kids who cannot connect with harsh WORDS...leading me to my second point:

Kids, they're only WORDS.  They can't hurt you.  It's especially ludicrous to see straight white people leaping in to stop words that don't apply to them.  Are they actually injured by the term "wetback" or "f*g"?  For that matter, are illegal aliens or homosexuals hurt by them?  (The answer is "No.")  I don't know any illegal aliens, but the gay folk I know would rather those who use offensive terms be able to do so openly, so they can be more easily avoided.  I've met FAR too many earnest GenXers who claim to be 100% in favor of free speech, "but not hate speech."  Hey, Morons (yeah, that's most of you, GenX) -- listen up: The First Amendment is SPECIFICALLY about "hate speech."  If someone didn't hate it, it wouldn't need protection.

Go ahead and criticize what I just wrote, but remember: if you don't tell me who you are, it won't mean a thing.

Daniel Gilmore

Seattle, Washington

CincyPA, are you truly surprised that Mensans have taken their complaints outside Mensa forums?  Seriously, now? From reading the posts above this as well as the other Mensa complaint on this site, it's apparent that keeping the complaints within the organization does little or no good, and, in the case of complaints related to Mike/Gino, could open oneself to his sleazy attacks. If Mensans didn't want to face this potential image problem, they should have addressed the issues. Sadly, there are likely many selfish leaders who are more worried about how this all makes Mensa "look," rather than having any concern for the victims.

Bottom line, CincyPA: if you choose to leave Mensa because of these problems, that's your choice. If others would like to stay in Mensa and call attention to these problems, that's their choice.

Thank you to Ripoff Report for hosting the space to bring these issues to light.

This is a perfect example of what Mensa is REALLY like when you have to be around them all the time. There are mega private groups for thousands of members on Facebook and these morons can't get all their fighting done without bringing it out to the real world. There are yahoo groups and google groups and gatherings and card meets and dinner nights and pub crawls and game meets and the list goes on and on and on.

But here the morons are again in all their glory outside the private groups for the whole world to see. Everyone get all your dirty laundry and hang it out. Hurry! The rest of the world wants to see your regal social skills. Pull your pants down and show your butts while you're at it. 

THIS is what the smartest people in the world do with their time??? Seriously??? Do you fart in elevators? Do you let all your fat hang out of your cheap clothes? Blow your nose and burp on the subway?

How about if you quit - stop paying if you have problems?? The public these wayward Mensans are  showing their asses to here on a public site say Mensans are fat uglies with no social skills and no friends outside Mensa. We know Mensans can't get along with people in the real world and we see here they don't like each other. What you say here is if you had a choice, you would not be with the other people in Mensa. That is sweet.

Class X losers. That is what the world thinks of your public fight here. Think about it. When you get to work next week, the people who know you lack social skills there will know you don't get along with other losers either. What a life.

Could Mike's defender "JR" be his friend "Jonny Rhino," the Mensan who went to jail for child rape? His alleged victims included Mensans, but the organization took no action whatsoever.  The anonymous commenter is correct that Mike goes out of his way to defend the trash who are ruining the group.

Mensans, your dirty laundry won't be aired in public if you do a better job cleaning it in-house.

Mike loves to defend all the dirty skanks and the drunks and crazy old freaks we have been trying to get rid of. There was a disruptive and senile woman in our local chapter that we had decided was no longer welcome but he would pick her up and drive her to Mensa functions and Scrabble clubs just to inflict her on us, despite everyone begging him to stop. It nearly destroyed our chapter in 1995 and lasted until she was too sick to get out. Reading about his habits I wonder what he was getting out of it.

He's an enabler who is friends with ex-convicts and all the trash who are ruining Mensa for the rest of us and when he is gone we will get rid of a lot of bad apples. 

How ironic that we have Mike Ganopoulos' defenders accusing anonymous posters of being weak, while posting anonymously themselves. Even his fanboys don't want their real names publicly associated with him. That alone speaks volumes. Or, perhaps they have their own murky histories in this org?

you guys are smart but you arent funny. Boring.   read Amazon reviews and you can learn how to do it.

wait til y'all hear what they did to me!

Na-aa-aa-aa-ah.   I probably shouldn't say it.

We have a monster in our midst preying on us and I would appreciate it if people would stop joking around! I don't know about any goats but Mike definitely is in a cult and they use it to attract young girls. If he has any contact with your children please be aware of this.

He created an uproar in August 2005 with a post including a checklist
for anyone wishing to rape a particular member of the SIG.

Mike's longtime M.O. is to use sex to attack other Mensans. If you're female and have a disagreement with him, he'll start a rumor that he had sex with you. If you're male, he'll start a rumor that you're jealous because you tried to have sex with a woman he had sex with. He also brags about not using protection while allegedly having all this sex. At best, he's lying; at worst, he has an appalling lack of discretion.

That's right, you tell off all those anonymous posters, "JR - (United States of America)."

This has got to be the stupidest discussion I have ever read on the internet, and that takes a lot.

I've been a member of Mensa for over 30 years and not one thing anyone is being accused of in this conversation is to be believed. I know Mike and I do remember about 20 years ago someone accused him of a rape, and the story was fishy didn't make a lot of sense back then, and after it all was investigated there was no proof and nobody was convicted of anything. I saw in his response that Mike qualified the accusation had to be "credible" and he was right, because it wasn't credible then and it hasn't gotten any more credible 20 years later. What benefit do you get out of bringing it up now on this anonymous and public forum? Obviously your goal is to attack an individual you have some petty quarrel with and make Mensa look bad in the process. Last night I wrote him being curious about who he beat up at the Denver AG and that was interesting being he wasn't even at the Denver AG. Mensans are always accusing each other of things and most of it isn't credible and there has never been an case where one member was PROVEN to have raped another. At least it has never happened since I have been a member.

This site is just a bathroom wall where anyone can say anything anonymously and without consequences to themselves. I feel dirty just posting this here but I could not sit back and watch Mensa and the people in it be attacked and keep my mouth shut. NOBODY is fooling around with goats or worshipping the devil at our events either. If they're having wild sex it's behind closed doors and it's their business. The goal of this "report" was to make Mensa look bad and you accomplished that. The worst part was your personal attacks against a member for no good reason using a website like this one which is full of garbage and lies. If I wasn't already in Mensa I don't think I would be joining after reading this and seeing how mean and petty the members can be.

Mike Gino Ganopoulos is not being accurate when he states that complaints against him have been anonymous. A woman who alleges that he raped her at the Mensa Annual Gathering revealed her identity, along with her allegation, on the GenX Yahoo group. She is still a Mensa member, and stated in that conversation that she welcomes contact through her Yahoo profile if
people have additional questions. She has also spoken about it in person at Mensa events, and Mike is aware of this.

To read the topic, you must be a member of the GenX Yahoo list, which requires verification that you are a current, age-eligible member of Mensa.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GenX-Ms/message/165044

" As recently as July 2nd,Gino responded to a post describing gays
dressed like dogs in a parade by posting a link to a vendor selling the
chemicals used to euthanize dogs."
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! WELL PLAYED! BAD DOGGIES!!!
This MENSA club is sick! I gotta join!

Is it really fair to make anonymous accusations against a person for things unrelated to the actual post? I may not agree with Gino on a lot of things (or most things) but I don't believe he deserves that treatment. (And if you are making accusations at least be adult enough to name yourself)

now back to the original "report". It is clearly a joke or written by someone delusional and should not be taken seriously. I'm pretty sure the general public is aware that we are not a bunch of virgin and goat sacrificing freaks. Although people's ideas of who we are may vary by what they think smart people are, that is low on the possibilities.

Regarding why Mike/Gino was banned from the GenX list: the email in which the GenX mailing list moderators announced Mike's ban and explained the banning process is very long, but here is the section with the alleged reasons.

"Our online message board is governed by a membership-approved set of rules. The voting members decided that sexually-explicit language was allowed but that personal attacks, invasions of privacy, etc. were not. Gino has been placed on "moderated" or suspended status several times in the past, yet seems intent on posting messages specifically designed to inflame and offend. The rules specifically outlaw words "generally recognized as offensive" yet one does not have to look very hard to find postings from Gino denouncing "fags," "wetbacks," or "retards." Beyond the simple matter of word choice is message content. As recently as July 2nd,Gino responded to a post describing gays dressed like dogs in a parade by posting a link to a vendor selling the chemicals used to euthanize dogs. In the past, he has posted "all fags should be destroyed" only to later claim he was making a joke about cigarettes. He created an uproar in August 2005 with a post including a checklist for anyone wishing to rape a particular member of the SIG. He has written, "I think we should issue a fatwa calling for (another member's) death, for printing blasphemous 'verses'. It's only fair to treat him in the tradition of his own people." Comments such as "you suffer from MPD (Multiple Pakistani Disorder)" and "vaffanculo" are further examples from his posts that have resulted in complaints.

Regarding his flouting of list rules, Gino, in his own words, has posted "I insist that this be my choice, not the choice of some small-minded individual who believes I need to be protected from Christian's words. This latter is called "censorship." He has also written, "I call a homosexual a homo, and anybody who doesn't like it can blow me." Clearly he is unwilling to accept the group's rules of conduct, which were voted upon by the membership-at-large. While we support the discussion of a wide range of topics, we and the voting members do not want the group to be a source of pain, embarrassment, or offense to anyone. It is well within Gino's ability to discuss issues and express opinions in a mature and inoffensive way, but he continually chooses not to.

The bottom line is that this group is meant to be a fun, interesting, and safe activity for our members, and allowing boorish behavior to continue would be a disservice to the membership.

Of course, members are free to criticize or question the ExComm or other Mensa representatives, but there is a line that we believe should not be crossed. That line is the truth. In recent months, Gino has posted untrue comments designed to denigrate the ExComm and Moderators. If Gino wishes to post something like "I think the ExComm is doing a terrible job," or "so-and-so should not be elected," that is within his rights. But his untrue assertions of unfair treatment against another member, and his claim that the ExComm suspended a third member so that she could not run in the last election, are untrue and slanderous." 

He is very violent and a bully. Punched my boyfriend in the face,dragged me down the hall.......if you don't believe me this happened at the AG in Denver 5 years ago. And oh Gino/Mike I think you DO worship the devil or else why do you wear that ring you have?   You are evil and disgusting. Your friends are even worse.

Go ahead and come to Dallas AG and try attacking me again,because this time I am prepared to defend myself and they will find you with a hole in your STUPID head.

Mike/Gino, why were you banned by the GenX mailing list? What other Mensa lists have banned you? Just wondering.

Just the "facts," Mike? Your alleged rape victim made her identity known in Mensa and to you. Your claim that allegations against you have all been anonymous is as fake as "the real Polkamouse." One can't really blame accusers and/or witnesses for choosing to stay anonymous when the alleged perpetrator is noticeably large and antagonistic like yourself, but that's not what happened.

1) Regarding the original poster G P (who is not me, initials are a coincidence) and the deeply offended gentleman L D of comment #2: Despite the fact that I have no idea what actually happened to you in your misadventures in Mensa, I am sorry to hear that you encountered sexual behavior that does not comport with your moral codes. The organization has no restrictions on faith, lifestyle, or behavior that falls within the law. Anyone who was drunk was over 21 and not driving and if anyone was being whipped, they had consented. In that respect, "Mensa is free," I suppose.

We have many members with unusual beliefs and practices, and I do not know if we have any members who take vows to Lucifer. But I can tell you for sure that I don't, and I don't know any other members who do.

If you saw a goat under these circumstances, I understand what you were afraid you might be seeing next. I can't say for sure there was no goat, but you can be sure that if an animal was either used for sex or killed in a satanic ritual at a Mensa gathering there would have been outrage, and the perpetators would have been turned over to the police. Being this didn't happen, you can be assured that any goats present at a Mensa event left with their bodies and souls intact.

2) Regarding "Anonymous" of comment #6: this is the real Polkamouse, and I assume you are referring to Report #1018251 on this website, which is as bizarre and petty as this one without being nearly as amusing, and that I believe is likely you wrote and are angry that I and others have treated with incredulity in other conversations. I have never had a credible accusation of rape or abusive conduct made against me in Mensa or anywhere else, ever, by anyone who didn't go by "Anonymous."

3) Regarding this site: I think I know what is going on. This is not a consumer advocacy site; it is a site where anonymous users are invited to libel one another, and the libel can be removed via an arbitration service available from the site itself... for a fee, of course. In other words- a blackmail site.  The fact that you do not have any real identity verification for posters and do not allow posters to include e-mail address or phone numbers where they can contact one another and bypass your paid service supports this conclusion. May the law catch up with you soon, and may your cellmate have a shmo like a horse and a face like a goat.

A poor attempt at humor, likely penned by Southern Connecticut Mensa member Mike Ganopoulos, a.k.a. Gino Polkamouse. Perhaps the author is attempting to obfuscate the issues raised in another Mensa-related complaint on this website?

Is it any coincidence that Ganopoulos himself is well-known in Mensa for the crude and antagonistic behavior that the other complaint references--he was banned from the GenX group's Yahoo mailing list for it--or that there was an allegation that he raped a woman at a Mensa gathering?

I've been a member of Mensa since 1997. It's a social organization for people who score in the top 2% of a standardized IQ test. There are dues to join as well as a cost for the gatherings and everybody pays for their own hotel/transportation costs. There are no vows.

Because many people are good friends, hugging is commonplace, however groping would typically invite a criminal complaint. Not everyone is a hugger. To avoid offense, name badges have red, yellow, and green dots (like a stoplight) to indicate someone's willingness to be hugged.

Yes, beer is served to those who wish to indulge. Women typically wear jeans and t-shirts, although we enjoy dressing up in evening gowns for the formal dance. Some Halloween costumes are 'sexy.'

Like most social organizations, there's something for everyone in Mensa. If you come looking for friends, you'll make them. If you come looking for a hookup, you might find that, too. But if you found a goat, a bunch of people groping each other and an insistence to say the vows, you're at the wrong convention.

First of all I would like to say I am very sorry that these men got a bad impression of Mensa when they came to a gathering. Some of us are very moral people and do not take the vows or act the way the people they saw were acting. I know that the VL are very sexually aggressive with both male and female new members, and treat them like lambs to the slaughter. That is just the way they express themselves. On behalf of all the good people in Mensa I hope that anyone who saw this and was offended will not form such a harsh opinion and give us another chance.

Ha ha do you remember me? You should! You mean you didn't enjoy our time in Reno? I remember taking off your silly underwear and SWALLOWING A PIECE OF YOUR SOUL  Mmmmm that was gooood!

Mensa is free, and now SO ARE YOU! You should be happy and you should go ahead and take the test.

I would like to mention to the gentleman from Provo who filed this report that I also am LDS, and went to a Mensa meeting for the purpose of taking a test, and was treated the same way.

There were loose women welcoming me and telling me "Mensa is free" and I am sorry to say I stumbled and fell. I was planning on saving myself for marriage, and I left the meeting in tears, too ashamed to put on my garments.

I personally did not see any goats or other animals but this vow was explained to me and as I understand it its a vow to Lucifer to be both a receiver and giver of light. This vow I would never take and no one should take it! I should have left as soon as I heard about this but I was weak and foolish.

This Mensa group is very sinister. They have been around for a long time and I am afraid they are behind a lot of bad things that no one knows about yet. Authorities please investigate, you need to investigate before anyone else is harmed. I was ripped off of my purity.

I have been a member of Mensa Society for almost 40 years, and I've attended close to 1,000 meetings of various kinds.  I have NEVER heard the phrase, "Mensa is free" nor have I heard anything about a "vow."

And while it's certainly true that some people do seek sex at a Mensa Gathering (just as they do at Kiwanis, Eagles, Lions, Elks, Legionnaires, dentists, and lawyer's conventions) I've never had scantily-clad women approach me in the manner described here.  Hugging is commonplace; groping is really not.  And the only goats I've ever encountered were brought in specifically to entertain the kiddies.

Your report, Mister Provo, is so far from what my Mensa experience has been, that I challenge you to provide details.  When and where was this meeting held?  Who organized it?  How did you find out about it?  Is there anyone else who will testify that what you wrote is true? Do you have ANY corroborating evidence, other than your word? 

And did you even "join" Mensa (take & pass the test, pay your dues -- at $70 per year, reasonable, but hardly "free") as you stated, or just "look into it" as I suspect?  If you joined, the National Office will have your name on file. Why hide behind anonymity?  Goats can't hurt you (much) and you don't have to go into those rooms with the whipping and screaming -- unless you want to...<g>  But I have my doubts you were ever a member.

Methinks your pants doth blaze brightly.