Torbay pride returns today
The event begins with a Pride march at midday
Torbay Pride returns later with the annual march starting at midday.
The free event is centred on Torre Abbey Meadows, with Chairman Chris Smith saying it's about promoting inclusivity.
He said: "We get a lot of comments such as 'when is straight Pride?'
"I don't see anyone walking up to a hetrosexual couple in the street and saying 'stop kissing, I don't want to see that, I don't want to see you holding hands' why should it be any different for the gay community?
"Last year we had someone attend aged in her 80s who commented 'I've never been to a Pride, it's nothing like I thought it was going to be. It's so inclusive, it's so welcoming'.
"On the flip side of that we had someone whose daughter was 16 who was able to turn to her mum and come out to her mum - she said 'this is a safe, inclusive space, I feel safe to tell you now."
In the past, across Devon, there's been some negative online comments against the public bodies and charities that take part and support Pride events.
Torbay Councillor Swithin Long says it's vital groups continue to fight the comments, saying: "It just builds trust between minority communities and those organisations and if you've got much better trust then you will share stuff about what's happening.
"It helps to break down those barriers that don't need to be there."
There's more about Torbay Pride here
It comes as today Newton Abbot Museum is calling on visitors to Torbay Pride to help with sharing stories.
Staff say the South Devon's LGBTQ+ narratives are under represented and they want artefacts and photographs and oral stories to help build the collection.
A spokesperson said: "A planned new heritage store at the museum will provide a state-of-the-art space to preserve and share more stories including those about the lives of the LGBTQ+ community which historically have been criminalised or hidden."
Curator Joanna Eccles believes that representation of LGBTQ+ communities can provide a wider sense of belonging and help to promote understanding through challenging stereotypes.
She said: ‘In addition to collecting artefacts, we’re interested in recording living histories from different generations of the south Devon queer community.
‘We’re looking for personal stories and memories, donations or loans of objects, photographs and materials.
‘We’re also keen to identify volunteers or researchers interested in helping us explore local LGBTQ+ history.
‘Together, we want to bring LGBTQ+ stories within our collection to the forefront and ensure queer voices are part of Newton Abbot’s history for generations to come."