meet our team
Staff
Dandy Knopf
Site Director
Pronouns: they/them
What are you bringing to the Safe Space?
I am a compassionate individual, driven by love, kindness, and creativity. I’m committed to building a strong community through the Safe Space, offering support and warmth in all situations. My goal is to be a welcoming presence, helping our community thrive with the support of the leadership team, volunteers, and all who join us. Together, we can achieve great things. I hope to help foster a space of growth, acceptance, and welcoming for all members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community from all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
What are you looking to take away from this work?
I hope to be part of something much bigger than myself and help fight for the future of our queer community. I've witnessed the positive impact the Safe Space has had on the Harrisonburg and Rockingham communities over the years, and I’m excited to see what we will continue to accomplish, and how I can contribute to that.
bETHANY cHUPP
sAFE sPACE COUNSELOR
Pronouns: she/her
What are you bringing to the Safe Space?
I am bringing a commitment to, and belief in, queer affirming and celebratory mental health support. It is my honor to walk alongside LGBTQ+ individuals through journeys of self-discovery, relationship building, and improved wellbeing. I am excited to support FCSS in expanding mental health services for our community, and bring curiosity and creativity for the various forms these services can take.
What are you looking to take away from this work?
I am hoping to gain from this work a deeper sense of joy and hope for what the future holds for LGBTQ+ folks in Harrisonburg and beyond. In settling in Harrisonburg after growing up in Oregon, it has been a delight to invest in this community I now call home and see it become a safer space for queer existence. FCSS is an exciting and invigorating place to be, and I am thrilled to be serving our community through this organization.
Kirby
Administrative assistant
Pronouns: they/them
Leadership Team
William Martin
Historian
Pronouns: he/him
What are you bringing to the Safe Space?
My heart has called Harrisonburg and the valley home for 14 years. I've seen amazing changes in our local queer community in that time. I also bring 3+ years of advocacy experience with Equality Virginia's Speakers Bureau. I look forward to helping us forge an even brighter future for the community.
What are you looking to take away from this work?
I hope to gain lasting connections and future opportunities for personal and community growth.
Toni Chavarria
Social Media Manager
Pronouns: they/them
What are you bringing to the Safe Space?
I bring years of social media experience to the Space, and I am working to better our online presence and get the word out about our existence!
Allison de blois
Outreach Coordinator
Pronouns: they/them/she/her
What are you bringing to the Safe Space?
I am a peaceful, witty, mindful, music-loving, and empathetic person. I am dedicated to advocating for LGBTQIA+ individuals and their rights. I’m all about building connections, memories, community, and celebrating queer joy! As the outreach coordinator, my goal is to foster connections between LGBTQIA+ individuals and aspiring allies of all intersectional identities. I work locally as a resident in counseling and have lived in Harrisonburg for 5 years. It has been an honor and a privilege to be involved with the Friendly City Safe Space since its inception. Both personally and professionally, I am committed to continuing to build a strong community through the FCSS so that everyone within the acronym may feel supported during these uncertain times. My goal is to foster connections between LGBTQIA+ individuals and aspiring allies of all intersectional identities. I aim to be a welcoming presence that facilitates growth while working alongside the leadership team, volunteers, and all other affirming individuals.
What are you looking to take away from this work?
I aim to leave an impact by continuing to build onto the foundation of the FCSS so that going forward there may be even stronger community connections, support, joy, advocacy efforts, and access to resources. I’m looking forward to upcoming events, advocacy efforts, and community gatherings. As Marsha P. Johnson famously said, “No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us”.
Elias Seidel
Librarian and Facility Coordinator
Pronouns: he/him
What are you bringing to the Safe Space?
I bring a deep curiosity about how humans have historically navigated different social systems of gender and sexuality—and a commitment to changing those systems to be sites of care and freedom, instead of cruelty.
In addition to having some work experience at a public library, I have been involved for the past decade in activist- and artist-run initiatives from New York to St. Petersburg, Russia. I know how to clean and organize spaces; translate, edit, lay out, and print publications; how to chair meetings and lead book study groups; and how to reciprocally learn from and share knowledge with my peers.
What are you looking to take away from this work?
I am most looking forward to finding community in Harrisonburg. I am a big-city gay at heart, but until I can afford to live somewhere like that again, I need an outlet for my more, erm, avant-garde taste in fashion, books, and politics.
*Photo courtesy of NV Gay
Vic Bermúdez
Event Coordinator
Pronouns: they/all/elle/todo
What are you bringing to the Safe Space?
I am bringing a strong sense of justice, love for laughter, heart for community, and passion for change. As a Cuban from Miami, FL and a single parent who got pregnant at 17, I bring the lived experience that comes with forging your way through hardship and into true liberation. My goal in life is to use the things from my past and dreams of my future to create a life that is exciting, challenging, and fulfilling and encourage others to do the same -- even if it goes against the narrative of what "should" be.
Professionally, I am an advocate and organizer within the realm of reproductive justice fighting to radicalize the way we view reproductive healthcare. My goal is to make sure that marginalized communities (LGBTQ+, BIPOC, immigrant, low-income, etc) are the center of the fight towards liberation.
In my role as Events Coordinator, I hope to spend more time learning about how the FCSS can meet the needs and desires of folks in our community.
What are you looking to take away from this work?
I’m looking to learn from the stories and wisdom of the communities I’ll connect with through the FCSS, and carry those lessons forward to deepen my commitment to radical love and building strong systems of support.
Alex Bermúdez
Volunteer Coordinator
Pronouns: She/her/ella
What are you bringing to the Safe Space?
Kindness is what I believe will heal the world. As someone who never really felt like I belonged to a certain group or place, I always desire to bring a warm and welcoming presence for those who may feel that same way. My passion and absolute favorite thing in life is meeting new people and hearing their stories. As volunteer coordinator, my first priority is to make sure we continue to provide that space to build community!
What are you looking to take away from this work?
I am hoping to foster relationships and connect people to each other. I am also hoping to deepen my personal relationships with the people I have made connections with at the Space, and with the ones I will meet in the future!
Nicole Litwiller
Donor Communication Coordinator
Pronouns: She/her
What are you bringing to the Safe space?
Following completing my Master's degree in Conflict Transformation at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, I spent two years doing organizational equity and justice work at the National Wildlife Federation. I am now coming up on two years of being a member of Eastern Mennonite University's advancement team, focusing my work on annual giving and fundraising communications. I look forward to pairing my passion for equity and justice with my experience in fundraising to elevate the Friendly City Safe Space's mission of creating a community where all LGBTQ+ people thrive.
What are you looking to take away from this work?
I hope that supporting the Safe Space in this way will help me feel more connected to the Harrisonburg and surrounding community. I look forward to developing connections with people who want to support the Safe Space—connecting with other folks who are passionate about this work helps remind me that we are not alone in this work of building a more radically welcoming world.
Megan Bossert
Fundraising Coordinator
Pronouns: She/They
What are you bringing to the Safe space?
I’m bringing my experience in fundraising for small local organizations by setting up donor programs, and helping to plan really cool events that benefit the space and the community. I’ve been working in my local community in various ways for over 10 years and started really working in the Central Virginia queer community about 4 years ago.
What are you looking to take away from this work?
I hope to make a difference in my community and be the queer community member I wish was around when I was younger. I also hope to make new friends who have the same passions as I do! Ultimately I want to help curate a safe, inclusive and accessible space for all queers in the community.
Our founder
Hyacinth Bellerose
Pronouns: she/they
What are you bringing to the Safe Space?
I am bringing my deep passion for community building, radical hospitality, and culture change. I approach this work as the work of planting seeds for long-term liberation, not just for queer folks but for BIPOC folks, disabled folks, neurodivergent folks, and anyone who has been historically marginalized. I am also a musician and writer, which informs my work creatively in this space. I see organizing work and community building as the work of creation, and love to bring that spirit to my work.
What are you looking to take away from this work?
I am looking to gain connections with many queer folks in this region. Already in nearly three years of this work, I have met more queer folks than I have in my entire life, and that is impossible to overestimate the worth of. I am also looking to take away a deeper understanding of both my queer identity and my privileged identity as a white person doing this work. I want to be continually learning and growing and am so thankful that this is a community where that is encouraged.