SEATTLE — For nearly two miles, a sea of people dressed in rainbow colors, waving rainbow flags lined the Seattle Pride Parade route along 4th Avenue.
Celebrating 50 years of Pride, the theme "Now!" harkened back to Pride's roots: honoring the original rallying cry for gay rights and queer visibility that was sparked by the Stonewall uprising.
"It's a bucket list item for me," said Mickey Terrana, who marched in the parade.
Terrana, a lesbian, said she remembers when the thought of coming to such a public display of LGBTQ+ representation frightened her. She did not come out until she was in her early 40's.
"Being born in the '60s and through the '70s and '80s being closeted, not feeling like you belonged," Terrana said. "Then you realize how many people are like you and it's super helpful growing up to have that."
While Pride Events are joyous, Terrana said it's important to understand why the LGBTQ+ community and its allies choose to be louder and prouder.
"Right now with all the hate and things going around, there's so much of it. Just makes me want to celebrate that much more," Terrana said.
Since 2020, state legislatures across the country have introduced and enacted anti-LGBTQ bills, a majority of them targeting the transgender community.
In 2024, the American Civil Liberties Union tracked 527 bills. Six were introduced in Washington this legislative session but did not pass the Democratically-controlled legislature. Despite that, Terrana said bills in neighboring states like Idaho and even ones across the country weigh on the LGBTQ+ community.
Terrana said she hopes there will come a day when all people, no matter how they identify, will get to live their authentic lives in peace.
"This is a message of we're all people," Terrana said. "You cut us - we bleed. We all have feelings. We're all the same. We're just all made different."