Massachusetts lesbian bar nearly bullied out of town after lifting mask mandate for one night a week

Trouble is a brewin’ at this watering hole.A Massachusetts lesbian bar descended into a catty culture war and faces a potentially business-ending boycott from sudden enemies who flipped out when the owners lifted a longstanding mask mandate — for just one night a week.Greenfield’s Last Ditch Bar scrapped Saturday mask requirements on Aug.

31 in a bid to boost business — but the move completely backfired, sparking uproar from members of the small city’s queer community.Some critics dramatically likened the decision to a “mass disabling event,” a “eugenicist” attack and a host of other hot-button terms that escalated to threats of violence.“I hope your venue gets firebombed for robbing my fellow immunocompromised people of their Saturday plans just to scrape extra revenue from ablists [sic],” one commenter wrote on the western Massachusetts bar’s post announcing the change, the Boston Globe reported.“People like you kill disabled people in the name of your own leisure and convenience,” wrote another, while a third said, “Just say you’re being complicit in a mass disabling event and get it over with.”And that was all because masks were made “optional” just once a week.Last Ditch, which opened in 2025, still requires masks all other days even as Greenfield hasn’t reported a COVID case in months.The business soon found its divey barroom bare on what used to be busy nights, as irate customers banded together to boycott.Sales had already been slumping due to the bar’s floundering business model that includes rules like, “Nobody will be barred from entry due to lack of funds,” and “Poor and unhoused people are welcome in the space.”The mask mandate was another rule, as Last Ditch vowed ableism — infringements on disabled patrons enjoying the venue — was strictly barred.That meant the face coverings were required to protect anyone who was immunocompromised.

It remains unclear how anyone was expected to drink while mask...