Meet the Board
Jason Baide (he/him)
current board chair
Born and raised in Bozeman, Jason is passionate about Queer visibility and representation in Bozeman and Montana. He loves working with non-profits and is the Board Chair of the Emerson Center for Arts and Culture and a co-founder of Downbeat Vintage Swing Society. Jason is a goldsmith and Jewelry designer and is the 2nd-generation owner of his family business Gem Gallery in downtown Bozeman. Jason also plays violin with the Bozeman Symphony. He enjoys rock climbing and getting outdoors with his two dogs Dorain and Darcy.
PJ Diamond (she/her)
Meet PJ, a spirited and adventurous woman who traded bustling Osaka, Japan for the charming mountain town of Bozeman, MT. Since arriving in the Gallatin Valley in 2020, PJ has thrown herself into community building and service. She's facilitated meaningful discussions on identity topics for MSU students and MontPIRG interns, led educational activities for local coffee shop staff and Montana Shakespeare in the Park actors, and consults with a Montessori school to help shape their diversity strategy. PJ is excited to serve on the inaugural Queer Bozeman Community Board and remains committed to the group's mission of creating a welcoming and supportive space for all. In PJ's eyes, Queer Bozeman isn't just a community for LGBTQ+ individuals, it's a community for her, too!
Maris Fessenden (they/them)
current vice-chair
Maris grew up on a dairy farm in rural New York state, where they first learned about the importance of our connection to nature. They have made a home in Bozeman for the past decade. Here, they have found belonging, strength, and meaning in the forest, mountains, and vibrant circles of friends and community. Maris is a storyteller, illustrator, and communicator interested in how humans make meaning while they relate to the land, animals, plants, fungi, and other beings around us. They work as an independent writer and designer, volunteer and advocate for human rights, and create art. They also serve on the board of the Rocky Mountain Science Writers Association.
Hazel Gonzalez (she/they/fae)
Hazel is a woman of trans experience who grew up in Bozeman, having moved to town when she was five. She has enjoyed being a part of various organizations and events here over the years including doing security for HATCH Fest, Warped Tour, and Porterhouse Productions. She was loosely involved with a Turner Youth Development Initiative teen center called The Blue Iguana and has dreams of actualizing another safe and entertaining space for young adults again. Hazel has also worked at Erotique for many years, passionately learning about and teaching healthy sexuality and kink. When she's not community building or doing her utmost to be a healthy and supportive elder queer role model and advocate for queer youth, she spends much of her spare time reading and cooking. Often simultaneously.
Emely Lambert (she/her)
A long-time local raised in the Gallatin Valley, Emely strives to help provide a safe queer space in SW Montana. As founder of Bozeman LGBTQ+ Community & Friends back in 2016, she created some of Bozeman’s favorite reoccurring Queer events: Queers & Beers, Big Gay Float Day, and Out in the Mountains campout. Emely brings a wealth of experience and willingness to step up wherever our community needs her. She is an Army veteran with 12 years of service, a former county Radio technician serving first responders, and currently a Registered Dietitian. Emely owns Bridger Berries Farm, where her passions are finally thriving: growing fruit on a small orchard and sharing the Montana life with others.
Marrakech Maxwell (they/them)
Marrakech was born in Jackson Hole, WY, but has found “home” to be a variety of places from the likes of Seattle, WA, to Bozeman, MT. Growing up in a small close-knitted community in Wyoming led to their passion for environmental justice and the possibility of the connected human experience. They have accepted a board position to help support and engage with the Queer community in supporting Bozeman to a just and humane future for all. Marrakech is an advocate, photographer, and community advisor working on engaging with the groovy and mundane moments in life; especially when hot topics are involved. They are so enthralled at the opportunity to engage in the work of creating a kind and engaging community in Bozeman.
Matthew Polillo (he/him)
Born in Las Vegas but raised in Montana, Matthew’s experience highlighted a contrast between small-town, rural, and conservative culture and large-city, progressive culture. While growing up in Livingston, he saw that Queer inclusion and support were rarely present and never talked about. Matthew wants to foster conversations and spaces for people of all backgrounds to come together and celebrate the Queer community, even in small-town Montana. Since moving to Bozeman in 2018, Matthew has been involved in multiple Queer organizations. He has produced events and coordinated volunteers for Pride celebrations across the state of Montana. Matthew works as an Assistant Branch Manager at a bank for his professional career. He also coordinates marketing and Queer event promotion whenever he can.
Elizabeth Schmidt (she/her)
Elizabeth is a Montana-based french horn player who is constantly looking to challenge the role that classical music–and the horn–occupies in current culture. She joined the faculty of the MSU School of Music in 2021 where she runs a thriving horn studio and teaches a variety of music classes. Elizabeth is an active performer in Montana, regularly performing with the Bozeman Symphony and Billings Symphony as well as Opera Montana, the Montana Ballet Company, and many groups around the state. Her research focuses on topics of gender and sexuality in music, through which she has engaged in the study of gendered instruments and the effect presumptions of gender have on brass players’ developmental and professional experiences. Most of her time involves something french horn-related, but during her rare time away from the instrument, you can find her engaging in one of her favorite hobbies: cooking, gardening, and sleeping.
Donald Stuker (he/him)
Originally from north-central Montana, Donald has spent 15+ years advocating for inclusive and accessible queer spaces in all of Montana’s cities. One of the founders of the Countship of the ISCSM, Donald performs across the state as the drag queen Hexx Shadow, working to bring drag performance to all ages. Donald is also responsible for producing the drag components of Montana Pride in Helena each year. In his spare time, Donald helps out on his family cattle ranch and enjoys social gatherings with friends.
Elsie Thomson (she/her)
Elsie spent many years living out of a backpack teaching for experiential schools throughout the Rocky Mountain West and abroad. She now teaches in a very different context working with grant funders on how to best utilize their grants management system. In her free time, Elsie loves to play outside by climbing and biking with her wife and dog. She can also be found tending to their backyard garden, tinkering on various house projects, and serving on the board of Pride House.
Chris Warren (they/them)
Chris is a Filipino nonbinary person who grew up in Bozeman, MT understanding the importance of representation due to the lack of Pacific Islander representation in their childhood media; however, it wasn’t until they got to college and were exposed to diverse queer personalities that they began to truly see the importance of all representation. Chris is now an 8th-grade ELA/SS teacher and coach for the Bozeman High School Hawkers Speech and Debate. They are also an avid roleplayer and tabletop gamer, as well as the only Nonbinary/AFAB Magic the Gathering judge in the state. They make it their mission to make all spheres they are a part of welcoming and safe to those who are marginalized, but also open enough to leave room for those who still have some growing to be done. Chris understands the importance of exposure as a way of opening one’s eyes to the humanity of the world and fights to make the path from bigotry and close-mindedness to acceptance and love as accessible as possible. They are thankful for the grace they were given as they navigated their journey into alley-ship and then to queerness and strive to extend the same courtesy to others.
Former Board Members
Christopher Coburn (he/him)
Co-founder, inaugural board member
Deon Daniels (he/him)
inaugural board member
Sara Freedwoman (they/she)
Co-founder, inaugural board member
Queer Bozeman will always be thankful for the service of these former board members.