A heartfelt response from Dartmouth’s harbour master has shone a light on why Pride remains as important as ever after an earlier social media post supporting the town’s Pride celebrations prompted both widespread support and hostile comments.
Paul Britton, harbour master and chief executive of Dart Harbour & Navigation Authority, shared a personal statement explaining why he believes LGBTQ+ visibility remains vital, drawing on his own experiences growing up under Section 28 legislation.
Paul said the law, which prohibited local authorities and schools from “promoting homosexuality”, created “a chilling climate of fear” that left many young people without information, role models or support.
He said: “For me personally, the lack of information and gay role models was probably the reason it took me until I was 27 to really understand who I was, effectively losing a decade of my life and driving me into a very dark time.
“I’m lucky, I survived, and now I’m genuinely proud to be a gay man – it is a vitally important part of who I am.”
Responding to those who questioned whether Pride events are still necessary, Paul said seeing LGBTQ+ people openly living ordinary lives could have made a significant difference to him as a young person.
He said: “If Dartmouth Pride can give one young person a hint of how they can be who they were born to be, then it is a huge success.”
Paul also highlighted challenges facing LGBTQ+ communities around the world, noting that homosexuality remains illegal in dozens of countries and that he believes some LGBTQ+ rights in the UK have moved backwards in recent years.
He added that hate crimes based on sexual orientation have risen by 20 per cent over the past five years in the UK, while those based on gender identity have increased by 50 per cent. He also said he had personally experienced two hate crimes in Dartmouth.
Referring to responses left beneath the harbour authority’s earlier Pride post, Paul said some comments described homosexuality as a mental illness, labelled gay people as paedophiles or suggested they were “set on wrecking the world”.
He also said some people claimed they would cancel visits to Dartmouth rather than encounter a gay person.
Paul said: “I would suggest you avoid the Dart entirely, as I am equally gay and proud all year around.”
Despite the criticism, he thanked members of the community and allies who had offered support and responded calmly to negative comments.
Paul also praised the volunteers behind Pride events across the region, including his husband, who created a 90-metre Pride flag carried through the streets of Torquay earlier this month.
He said: “Pride is needed now, as much as ever, the LGBTQ+ community need to continue push the simple gay agenda – our right to exist.”
The message comes after organisers thanked supporters for making Dartmouth Pride Festival 2026 a success and confirmed that the next event will take place on Saturday, June 26, 2027.
