The quarter is made up of mixed use developments including residential blocks, hotels, bars, nightclubs and various other businesses, many of which cater for the LGBT community.

Stanley Street has often been seen as the symbolic heart of the 'gay quarter' due to being the location of 'The Lisbon' pub, Liverpool's oldest gay venue, which has claimed an LGBT following since the 1960s.

However, recent research has highlighted the existence of an unofficial gay quarter around Queen Square from as early as the 1940s, which earned itself the nickname "Covent Garden of the North".

Establishments such as the Stork Hotel, the Roebuck, Spanish House, Magic Clock, Royal Court, and The Dart all boasted a substantial gay clientele, albeit liaisons were still held in secret to a degree.

[10] The building of the new St. John's Shopping Centre and subsequent demolition of the original Queen Square meant the gay community was forced to find a new home.

The project involved collecting and collating various spoken, written and video sources, as well as a short film commission 'Gayzin Liverpool', produced by local filmmaker Sandi Hughes.

[30][31] A similar and more recent project titled "Pink: Past & Present" has also explored the rich lesbian and gay history of the city[32] which had its world premier in November 2010.

[33][34] As part of the Liverpool City Centre Connectivity (LCCC) scheme, a major redesign of Victoria Street began in February 2019 which fully completed in July 2020.

[35][36][37][38] During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and restrictions, prominent LGBT venues including The Lisbon, OMG, Dorothy's Show Bar, On Point and Heaven began to utilise the new widened pavements by introducing outdoor seating areas.

Liverpool City Council launched a Public consultation on the partial closing of streets in the neighbourhood, with a view to enhancing the night time leisure experience.

[47] Thanks to partial pedestrianisation and a cooperative effort to promote the Stanley Street quarter to shoppers and tourists, a number of sporadic day time community events have been held over the years.

New rainbow coloured paving, artworks, gateway features, tree planting, new outdoor seating, street furniture and ideas for a new public square were explored.

[54] As part of the first phase of redevelopment, Liverpool became the first city in the UK to install street signage bearing the rainbow coloured Gay Pride flag on 11 November 2011.

[55] In December 2013, Liverpool City Council approved the formation of a dedicated Community interest company to help attract investment into and improve the quarter.

[10][67][68] Research commissioned by the North West Regional Development Agency approximated that there were around 94,000 LGBT persons living in Liverpool's metropolitan area by mid 2009[69] - equivalent to the GLB population of San Francisco.

Chief Inspector Louise Harrington commented, "We have to strike a balance between a heavy police presence which could scare people off and those that say it makes them feel safer.

Several community safety initiatives were implemented shortly after which included a marshalled Taxi Rank and the installation of gates on Progress Place, a section of private land off Stanley Street, where many of the attacks in the area have been linked as well as antisocial behaviour.

Organisers hailed the festivities a massive success and now plan to hold larger events in the future[74] At Liverpool Pride 2011, it was announced that visitor numbers had doubled to over 40,000.