Massachusetts Lesbian Bar to Close Amid Backlash Over Mask Policy

Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue, a lesbian bar in Greenfield, Massachusetts, announced Monday that it will be closing and seeking a buyer for the business. The bar had previously drawn community backlash after temporarily easing its mask mandate for one night a week.

"WE ARE CLOSING. We have put our lives on hold to foster networks of care, resources, and a home base for organizing. It's time we pass it on. We've been fighting since the beginning to fill out the team, and we still don't have a board/leadership to manage workers owned Co-op transfer. We are SOFT CLOSING effective immediately, all BOOKED events will CONTINUE, otherwise we are CLOSED," the bar stated in an Instagram post. The post also added, "We need new owners ASAP, we close this winter."

Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue gained attention last month when The Boston Globe reported on its decision to lift its mask mandate on a weekly basis. Following the report, some critics accused the bar's owners of endangering disabled individuals and described the policy change as a "mass disabling event" and a "eugenicist" attack, with some issuing threats against the establishment.

In response to the controversy, a Massachusetts chapter of the Communist Party released a statement condemning The Boston Globe's article, asserting it was being used to divide the LGBTQ community. "The Western Massachusetts CPUSA rejects the use of conflicts among LGBTQIA+ people and organizations as a tool of division by the extreme right. We reaffirm our solidarity with all those struggling against the genocide of transgender people," the statement read.

The Boston Globe had also previously reported that the bar was experiencing financial difficulties prior to the change in its mask policies. Two of its owners had stepped back from daily operations months earlier. Jackie Matellian, the remaining owner involved in daily operations, had reportedly been living in her truck for six months, working multiple jobs and managing a $50,000 loan.

Fox News hosts Jimmy Failla and Kennedy discussed the situation on Failla's show, "Fox Across America," with Kennedy stating, "If there's a market for this, and you sell yourselves as safe and mask mandatory and all that stuff and that's when you're making your money, have at it. If that is not working, let the market decide." Failla added that in a post-COVID world, such establishments have placated certain groups, leading to grievances rather than market success.