For Abby Cole, Olympia’s Pride Parade is an opportunity to see people who look like her.

Cole is a leader of Girl Scouts of Western Washington Troop 43869. She, other troop leaders and several Girl Scouts were just a few of the hundreds who participated in this year’s parade, a key part of Capital City Pride’s annual celebration of LGBTQ+ pride. The parade made its way from the Capitol Campus down Capitol Way to Heritage Park on Sunday.

“We are here to show that Girl Scouting isn’t just for cisgender girls,” Cole told The Olympian. “Anybody that represents or identifies with a girl experience can be a Girl Scout.”

Traditionally, the Boy Scouts were “not at all” gay-friendly, Cole said. But the Girl Scouts were, having led the way in the inclusion of gay people and others in the LGBTQ+ community for years, she said.

By participating in the parade, Cole said she and other troop leaders can recognize and welcome Girl Scouts of all gender identities and sexual orientations.

“It’s just about being a kid and Girl Scouting, and that’s what matters,” Cole said.

Pride and the Girl Scouts also are connected for Heather Stock, also a leader of Troop 43869. After coming out to family, a former Scout came out to Stock’s troop — before school or anywhere else.

“I’m glad that Girl Scouts was able to provide a safe space for all of our kids and all of our Scouts,” Stock told The Olympian.

Also among Sunday’s parade participants were Timberland Regional Library staff members with one of TRL’s Anywhere Library vans, decorated with progress pride flags and covers of LGBTQ+ books in TRL’s collection.

This is TRL’s first time participating in the parade, library manager Kerry Martin told The Olympian.

“We do have a diversity of authors and bodies and people represented on our staff, both that are marching and in the books that we chose to put on the van,” Martin said.

People from all five of the counties TRL serves go to Olympia’s Pride Parade, including those from rural areas without a Pride of their own, public services manager Morgan Sohl told The Olympian.

The parade is a way to show not just Olympian pride, but regional pride, Sohl said.

“We serve tiny towns of 500 to big cities, and everyone is welcome and can see themselves within our staff, within our collections and with our communities,” Sohl said. “So we’re just really happy to be here and to be celebrating with the community.”