Thurston County proclaims June 2025 LGBTQ+ Pride Month; local groups, mayor and commissioners speak

The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners on June 3 adopted a proclamation declaring June 2025 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Thurston County.

The proclamation — read into the public record and adopted by the board — recognizes the Stonewall uprising as a pivotal moment in the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and states the county’s commitment to ‘‘inclusion, equity and respect,’’ affirming that people ‘‘regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression deserve to live free from fear.’’

Community leaders and service providers addressed the commissioners before the proclamation was read. Lucas Miller, a PFLAG representative, told the board that public bodies should stand in “allyship” with LGBTQ+ people, saying, “no oppressed group ever won its freedom without significant help from people outside that group.”

Quinn Snow, a co-administrator of the New Boys Club, described the peer-led group for adults assigned female at birth who identify as transgender or nonbinary and thanked the board for acknowledging Pride Month. Elle Sanchez, introduced as executive director of Pizza Klatch, described the nonprofit’s in-school lunchtime support groups for LGBTQ+ youth and allies, which she said began after a series of youth suicides in 2007. Sanchez said annual anonymous surveys of students show “over 60 percent of the students say that because of attending Pizza Klatch, they self harm less” and that about “40 to 50 percent” reported feeling safer at school because of the program; she attributed those figures to Pizza Klatch’s internal surveys.

Natalie Coblentz (who uses the name Wilde) outlined Capital City Pride’s plans for a three-day festival, saying the event will run June 27–29 and include multiple stages, artists and community programming. Wilde said organizers expect thousands of attendees and described the festival as volunteer-run and family-friendly.

Dante Payne, mayor of Olympia, thanked the county for the proclamation and said national anti‑LGBTQ+ actions make local affirmations more important. A commissioner who read prepared remarks identified themselves as LGBTQ+ and a military veteran and urged that Pride be supported with “action, policies, and care that truly reflect the dignity of all people.”

The board’s proclamation formally adopts June 2025 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Thurston County and was entered into the record during the meeting. The commissioners recessed for a short reception following the proclamation.

Why it matters: the proclamation signals county-level recognition and symbolic support for LGBTQ+ residents and highlights community services and events — such as Pizza Klatch and Capital City Pride — that county leaders and the mayor described as serving youth and promoting inclusion.