GUTS Business Meeting – 05/3/2026

May 3rd, 2026 Business Meeting Notes

BM Chair: Christian

BM Co-Chair: Christian

SC Chair: Christian

Secretary: Lauren

 

I. Treasurer’s Report-Elle

1. Elle: Beginning Balance-$4,666.04
           Balance after expenses-$4,066.05
           Ending Balance-$4,734.27
           All contributions were paid. 
2. Motion to approve Treasurer’s Report

1. 1. Seconded and Passed (22 Yes Votes/No Dissent)

 

II. ORC Report

1. No one made a report
2. Motion to table ORC Report

1. 1. Seconded and Passed (20 Yes Votes/No Dissent)

 

III. Tech Team Report-Gabi/Elle

1. Gabi-Everything has been quiet. Elle did some plug in updates that fixed our website crashing problem. I think I have one set of notes to upload to the website. I will do that after the meeting. 
2. Motion to approve Tech Team Report

1. 1. Seconded and Passed (21 Yes Votes/No Dissent)

 

IV. GSR Report-Dennis

1. Dennis: Suggested the next Area Assembly which happens on May 25th. He has all the info for that. Has a couple of ideas to submit to the group next month. Dennis asked Charlie, our GSM, to come speak at the group and answer questions.
2. Motion to approve GSR Report
   1. Seconded and Passed (23 Yes Votes/No Dissent)
3. BM Response-Charlie

1. 1. Charlie-GSM for district 14. We are part of area 12 in Delaware. I am here to encourage people to step up for GSR. The big job is to make sure this group is represented at the district and the area. They make sure that those two entities hear your voice. 
   2. Kristen-I had a question. I am a GSR for District 8 in Arizona. I was curious if there is a solution to this. I might want to be the alternate GSR for our group. Is it possible to do that for two separate homegroups?
   3. Charlie-I think these issues will come up online. I think that will be difficult for voting purposes. I don’t know for sure. I will check on that. 
   4. There was further discussion about this issue about how a GSR can’t issue two votes. If Kristen wanted to be an alternate, she could vote on the GSR’s behalf while still voting for her district too. Charlie agreed that there might need to be further investigation on this to ensure that would be acceptable.

 

V. GC Manual Report-Gabi

1. Gabi: I should have it done by the end of the week. By the next SC meeting, it will be done. I will post it in the thread so that people can look it over. Thanks for your patience.
2. Motion to approve GC Manual Report

1. 1. Seconded and Passed (21 Yes Votes/No Dissent)

 

VI. Nominations-Lauren

1. Nominations

1. 1. ORC Member-Adam S-24 Yes Votes
   2. SC Member-Roy-26 Yes Votes
   3. SC Thread Admin-Curtis-25 Yes Votes
   4. GSR-Jaymee/Pickle-16 Yes Votes/5 No Votes
   5. GSR Alternate-Glenn-21 Yes Votes
   6. Topics Coordinator-Mary-27 Yes Votes
   7. LGBTQIA+ Contact List Coordinator-Adam S-26 Votes
   8. Scheduler-Tracee-23 Votes
   9. Trainer-Phil-24 Yes Votes

 

VII. Todd Complaint

1. BM Response

1. 1. Justin-Talked to Todd. He said that he was sorry. He had taken his meds which are opioids. He was also slurring his words. He did apologize. There’s something more alarming to me. Last night, I was hosting. Todd openly bashed the group in his share. I gave him a little rope. He kept talking over me. He privately messaged me. I suggested the SC Feedback if he had complaints. I explained how the share was inappropriate. He said that I was part of the problem. I find that more alarming because I see that as combative and not conforming to GC.
   2. Susan-I am the doorkeeper for the Big Book. I redirected him because he was discussing what was happening in a different meeting. I apologized for my disruption. I made amends to Amanda for overstepping. I removed myself. Todd was removed. He was being inappropriate. 
   3. Teresa-I was co-hosting the night anonymity was broken. I immediately sent a WhatsApp message to tell him to stop. He wouldn’t stop. I have a couple of concerns. We know what happened. His behavior is not contrite. Last night, I will back up Justin. He is not sincere in his amends. He’s been disruptive from the beginning. He’s also breaking anonymity which is a serious violation. I motion to initiate a ban. *Seconded
   4. Anahs-We take anonymity seriously. That was a big no-no. I spoke to Todd about the issue. When we come into AA, we know how monumental anonymity is. The person whose anonymity was broken was extremely upset. I second the ban.
   5. Bently-Anonymity is the core of what we do and how this works. Anonymity protects us and AA. People come in to feel safe. If anyone is breaking anonymity, that justifies a ban. He’s not been contrite. We need to do what’s best for the group and listen to the others who have spoken.
   6. Mark M-He’s more busy posting in the chat than listening to what we are saying. Todd gave me his reason for what happened. I can understand that, but, at the same time, that doesn’t excuse it. I am not getting a good feeling about this. 
   7. Marc-I want to agree with what everyone else said. I was also there. He’s been banned from other meetings. He should be banned. He does the same things repeatedly and shows no remorse. I am a firm believer that he shouldn’t be in this group. He constantly talks about men with men and women with women. If he already knows the rules of this group, then he shouldn’t keep putting that rule on blast. 
   8. Lauren-Suggested bringing back the Unity Workshop as a solution based idea to what’s going on. *Seconded
   9. Todd-You all triggered me. Every single cohost did not respond to me. I was ignored by everyone. The only person who ever offered to help me was Steve Z. He’s not here. *He decided to take a break. He was given a chance to cool off. 
   10. Anahs-I like how all of this is going together. This is my first Business Meeting. I can see both sides of the issue. This is why we are having this meeting. I can sometimes read things wrong, and I shouldn’t take things personally. That’s on me. We are all here for sobriety and we don’t get to cherry pick how we use the principles. It applies 100%.
   11. Todd-I don’t like the dismissiveness. I am the problem. I am taking accountability. I stayed through the whole process. I signed up for the team. Why do you want me banned? How many of you guys have gone through the 12 steps? If I could explain how I know that girl, I would. I am not saying that to respect anonymity. I feel that I am screwed either way. I am trying to do my best here. You want to hand me to the wolves. I am so blunt. I am going to be me. Period. If you want to ban me, I will leave permanently. I promise I will stay sober. It’s a fallacy if you think this room will keep you sober. It’s a fallacy if you think these people are your friends. No one has made amends to me. Not one person has apologized to me. Everyone took my inventory. This is not the AA way. 
   12. Christian-We are here to talk about your behavior because you disrupted the meeting. Nobody here needs to take their own inventory. We are trying to help you. You read the words. You read the book. But you’re not living the things you’re saying. We are not here to pick on you. I cannot have this in a room if you’re acting like that towards a newcomer who has 6 days of sobriety. You need to go through the steps again. I would be happy to do it again with you. *Todd left
   13. Bently-We need to vote on the ban before he comes back. That behavior we just witnessed. I think we ought to vote. The amendment would be a 6 month ban. Re-evaluate in 6 months. *Seconded
   14. Teresa-When I asked for the ban, I initiated the call. I think I was just a matter of fact about it. I agree with the revisitation after 6 months.
   15. Charlie-I haven’t been coming as much due to the time zone. I don’t know Todd that well. I have a hypervigilant radar. Sitting through what Todd went through is brutal. We all just took his inventory. I agree with that. Other people are doing the same behavior. The room is supposed to be safe for everyone. 
   16. John E-I don’t condone Todd’s behavior. My issue is that this group is so quick to ban. Anyone who has been issued a ban has not come back with the exception includes one person. Sitting him down for 6 months solves the issue. I have seen much worse behavior from others. I am not sure this is the exact solution. We are past the point of talking to him. Maybe he can come in without sharing? When it comes to these actions, we need to revisit how we are doing this stuff. 
   17. Mark M-He’s recovering from surgery. He might be on some meds. I know we kind of jump the gun, but he needs help besides AA. Throwing the stuff he was putting in the chat, was not conducive to the meeting. 
   18. Bently-If he could not share and not chat, then fine. He will just blow up the chat. He will constantly criticize hosts/cohosts. I think the policies should be revisited. 6 months is a good basis. Kevin came back and has been okay. There has been no outlandish or crazy behavior. We do offer creative solutions in situations. This is not that kind of issue. The ban is completely appropriate for the behavior. 
   19. Kristen-We do not take bans lightly. We never have. We were fully against them when we first started. We allowed people to the point of abuse from people. People ran rampant and constantly allowed to do stuff. People wouldn’t come back due to that behavior. There is a case by case stance with bans. Bans are a last resort. He didn’t take the redirection well at all. Had he followed through, it would have never been brought to the BM. There were interventions that were put into place. No change of behavior on his part. He was given numerous chances. No one wants their dirty laundry aired. I don’t like to see that either. They are a safety concern for the group. We need to stick to our primary purpose and protect the newcomer.
   20. John-There are certain circumstances in which people require a permanent ban. We need consistency with issues. I question how we are doing this stuff. We need everyone to be consistent too. I hope that we don’t need to revisit why that happened in the first place. We need something in place.
   21. Justin-From what I know, bans are indefinite. Not permanent. I was banned myself and was reversed. It can always be brought back up from my understanding. As for people coming back, I am one of them. I think it can help people’s behaviors. I agree with the 6 month ban. I would love to see him come back with a change of behavior
   22. Shawna-Knowing that we can’t prevent anyone from chatting kind of shows that there are restrictions technologically. I would be behind a temporary ban.
   23. Bently-I don’t think there’s going to be a good consensus. For 30 days, he is not allowed to share or chat. If it goes well for 30 days, then great. If he messes up, we institute the ban. If people think we are being too rough, then let’s try this. Maybe that’s the olive branch to reach a consensus. 

    B. Motion

1. 1. Todd cannot share on voice, camera, or chat for the next 30 days. If he does anything at all, he will be issued a ban immediately. We will also bring back the Unity Workshop

• • • Seconded and Passed (18 Yes Votes/11 No Votes)

 

VIII. Return to Service-Kathy

1. BM Response

1. 1. Gabi-I talked to Kathy not long ago. I think it was right before the SC Meeting. She wanted to know how she could come back to service. She admitted to relapsing. She completed rehab and everything. She sounds great now. She can’t come to Business Meetings due to scheduling conflicts. Kathy said that service is a huge part of her recovery. While there was some question of whether or not she was under the influence while hosting, she relapsed not long after that. I just wanted to relay some of what she said.
   2. Bently-Echo Gabi. She primarily hosted, but we want to give her the co-hosting hours. I am not sure what the situation was. It seemed like she was not in her right mind while hosting. Before we offer that opportunity, she needs to do her cohosting hours. 
   3. Teresa-I witnessed the behavior. She was erratic. I agree that she should cohost first. She mostly hosted. I believe that cohosting first with those hours would give us a sense of how she’s doing. I appreciate her recovery time, but we need to consider the group too. 

    B. Motion

1. 1. Allow Kathy W to return to service with retraining and cohosting hours.

• • • Seconded and Passed (26 Yes Votes/No Dissent)

 

IX. Return to Service-Jason

1. BM Response

1. 1. Mark-Jason was going through some issues in another group. My issue is that Jason has health issues. I will let him describe that. My concern is that he doesn’t do LNG. I have no problem with him coming back into service. I also know him, and I want him touching base with me. My main concern is his health. But that’s entirely up to him and the group. 
   2. John E-As I said, these bans are warranted at times. I won’t get into the history of this. Anyone can contact me on their own. I don’t see how we can let him come back. The harm that was done in the past crossed the line. 
   3. Jason-I agree with whatever the group says. The health issues are a concern. I do apologize for my past actions. I regret it. If it passes, I will work earlier shifts.
   4. John E-Other people were recruited to GUTS by Jason to disrupt the group. When it became apparent what was going on. Created a lot of chaos. There were some serious harassment issues that happened too. We need to protect the group. I don’t think this is the place for you to do service, Jason. I am sorry.

    B. Motion

1. 1. Motion to prevent Jason A from returning to service.

• • • Seconded and Passed (14 Yes Votes/10 No Votes)

 

X. David Complaint

1. Motion

1. 1. David will not be returning to service, but he is still allowed to attend the meeting

• • • Seconded and Passed (14 Yes Votes/7 No Votes)

     B. BM Response

1. 1. Bently-The drama came in from another group which is not appropriate. There were threatening messages which were completely inappropriate. For my part, there was discussion about his comments being deleted. This is protocol for schedulers to delete messages. We followed GC, and we were correct. Gabi was also correct to remove him from the threads. This drama did not belong in our group.
   2. Gabi-A couple of people wanted me to elaborate. Bently got it all in a nutshell. Some of the things that were posted in GUTS were posted in other groups too. A screen recording from the original group was created by David. This broke anonymity. He was trying to prove a point. There was sensitive info about people who attended that meeting. An issue of mental health crisis. An issue of relapse. People are not privy to that info. This video was posted everywhere. I asked him to stop, but he continued posting. I removed him from the Live Thread. He threatened Justin and I in different ways. Not all of that made it to the GUTS thread because we were fast at deleting stuff. I prefer a permanent ban by two points. The threatening of members and breaking anonymity of another group. 
   3. Justin-Beyond everything Gabi mentioned, the other groups’ threads, we tried to stop the onslaught of mean things being said both to myself and Gabi. It was a very high school kind of talk. There was a lot of resentment involved. He seemed to vent about the situation and feel better. I was hoping we could make amends and move on. That did not happen. There was no ending to it. THere was no stopping this individual. I will mention that he’s been banned from the other group at this point. It was unanimous. 
   4. David-I was having mental health struggles and changes in medication. This all happened during a difficult time. It was an emotional time for me. I had to step away from a toxic situation. Things were said back and forth. I lost my shit. Mainly, I want to apologize to the group and all parties involved. I know better. I shouldn’t have done that. I brought in people who can vouch for me and speak on my behalf. This is not like me to behave like that. I practice love, tolerance, acceptance, and forgiveness. I am not perfect. I have good, bad days, and everything in between. I have no desire to return to the threads if they feel like I am a threat. I don’t need to be back on the threads. Maybe I could receive a strike. I would like to finish my hosting commitment at the Big Book Meeting. I understand the ban and every situation is different. Keep in mind that this happened in a different group. The drama bled into the GUTS threads. I am currently taking steps to change my behavior. I was completely out of line. 
   5. Kristen-I appreciate David’s apology. Afterwards, he immediately reached out to me to be put back into the threads. He was reaching out to people and making them uncomfortable. I am just saying what was told to me. You need to understand by the behavior that people feel unsafe. He did not take accountability. This issue is about safety.
   6. Gabi-Kristen said what I was going to say. Before this even happened, there was a level of intervention that occurred. There was a lot of erratic behavior. I provided screenshots to the Ethics Committee. They were satisfied with what I showed them. One last thing is that night when he was removed,  but he was still posting that video. I convinced David to call me. I talked with him. I pleaded with him to delete it. Although I understood why he was pointing something out. There were other people in that video. Personal info that broke confidentiality. He told me that he would not delete the video. 
   7. Bently-There was a threat of physical violence. That’s illegal. Full stop. We seriously cannot consider someone who committed a crime to host meetings. 
   8. Charlie-I wasn’t around for the events that took place. I have been working with him in other places. Who among us hasn’t had a bad day in AA? We bring out our dysfunction in different ways. 

 

XI. Sunday Sibling Meeting

1. Motion

1. 1. Bently made a motion to temporarily remove Sunday’s Sibling Meeting from OIAA. Bently stated that it is just him running the meeting, and he can only commit to every other week with his work schedule. Bently stated that he would love some help to keep the meeting consistent. Until such time, it should be taken off Intergroup.

• • • Seconded and Passed (16 Yes Votes/No Dissent)

 

🛑 Vote to close meeting passed.