floors and was tightly crammed with people. In the following month, the Escape Club, a 'lavishly decorated' two level venue with balconies, two bars, two dance floors and a capacity of four hundred opened on the other side of the city centre. The total cost of the venue was £1.25million. Baa Bar was also entertaining gay punters on the opposite side of the city centre. In March 1995, Pulse argues that the most notable gay clubs on Liverpool's gay scene were The Escape and Garlands. Daley's Dandelion opened in June 1995. Throughout the rest of the year, plans were being formalised and fundraisers organised for the Mersey Pride which took place on Pownall Square outside Time Out. The Pink Palace also opened temporarily next to the Masquerade Bar on Cumberland Street in September 1995. In the 1990s, a series of gay prides were held in Liverpool City Centre (see Liverpool Pride). 21st century Early 2000s In the 2000s, Liverpool's gay community had become increasingly visible and there was a concerted push to take it further. However, comparisons were still being drawn with the gay profile of its closest neighbour Manchester, which along with its successful gay village and Mardi Gras, had for a long time claimed to be 'Gay Capital of the North'. Liverpool was often accused of lagging behind and not providing adequate provisions for its diverse communities. It had been a decade since the city had held a Pride of its own. Whilst the LGBT community had established roots around Stanley Street and surrounding district for several decades, a debate on developing and promoting it as a 'gay village', akin to other major cities, was only just beginning to gather momentum. 2004 saw the launch of Homotopia and the first Liverpool Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (Outsiders) which together boasted an ambitious programme of LGBT culture across the city. Homotopia's Festival Director, Gary Everett, said "The City is experiencing one of the most exciting chapters in its history, and I hope that this event will unleash the creative energies." Mersey Marauders, Liverpool's own gay football team was launched later in 2005, whilst city leaders continued debating the Liverpool gay village. The pro side hoped to boost the local economy whilst those with reservations pointed to the fact that a gay district was already growing organically and warned about further ghettoising the community. Prior to the introduction of legalised