A lesbian bar in Greenfield, Massachusetts, is facing a boycott and accusations of ableism after it made masks optional on Saturday nights, a change the owners said was needed to keep the struggling business alive. Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue announced the shift in an August social media post, and the reaction from parts of the small city's queer community was immediate and severe.
Critics accused the bar of putting disabled and immunocompromised people at risk, describing the policy change as a «mass disabling event» and a «eugenicist» attack. Some commenters went further. «I hope your venue gets firebombed for robbing my fellow immunocompromised people of their Saturday plans just to scrape extra revenue from ablists,» one person wrote on the bar's post announcing the change. Another said, «People like you kill disabled people in the name of your own leisure and convenience.» A third wrote, «Just say you're being complicit in a mass disabling event and get it over with.»
The bar had kept a mask mandate in place as part of a broader policy meant to make the space accessible to disabled and immunocompromised patrons. Customers were expected to mask up unless they were actively eating or drinking. But the requirement came at a cost. Last Ditch was already operating under an unusual business model that included a rule stating «Nobody will be barred from entry due to lack of funds.» The owners fell behind on bills and were unable to pay themselves or their staff.
Jackie Matellian, the remaining owner involved in daily operations, lived in her truck for six months, worked four jobs and carried a $50,000 loan, according to The Boston Globe. The two other owners had stepped back from daily operations months earlier. One enrolled in clown school; the other is a drag performer who uses it/its pronouns. With the business facing collapse, the owners decided to lift the mask mandate on Saturdays to draw more customers.
«It is with love we inform our immunocompromised disabled divas we will be opening Saturday nights as mask optional,» Last Ditch wrote in the post that ignited the backlash. The bar soon tried to apologize, saying, «We are sorry for our passive and dismissive tone of our change to the norms and schedule impacting the most intersectional of us. We understand everyone faces different intersections and we are always working to consider all needs fully.»
The apology did little to calm critics, who said the post lacked written «alt text,» a short description of an image embedded in a webpage for visually impaired readers. «This is not an accessible post,» one person commented. «It indicates the lack of care or interest in Disability intersectionality.»
Last Ditch tried again to address the controversy during its monthly community meeting on Sept. 11. Outraged attendees who joined by Zoom flooded the chat with comments that were read aloud for the in-person group. The meeting took another turn when critics alleged racism because the mediator, a licensed therapist, was white. «A lot of people are calling for an acknowledgment of harm and I'm hearing a WHITE therapist... center[ing] the feelings of a majority white and white adjacent staff,» one person said. Attendees also objected to a therapist being present at all, saying it made them feel «widely unsafe» because the woman is a mandated reporter required by law to report known or suspected abuse.
Matellian broke down in tears when it was her turn to speak, saying she had only been trying to help her friends with the bar before taking over once they left, and that she was having a difficult time surviving financially. She has fallen behind on rent, and the bar's landlord wants $3,900 by the end of September. «It was not my passion project,» Matellian said while masked. «I never really wanted this. I don't think I'm doing a very good job.»
Critics showed little sympathy. «You chose to use your time to spill tears and center your feelings,» one person responded. «This is incredibly racist and deflecting behavior.» The mask-optional Saturday nights have not reversed the bar's fortunes. The venue has been sparsely attended on what would normally be busy weekend nights, and some angered customers have called for a boycott. The episode has left a small New England city's LGBTQ community divided over how to balance public health concerns with the survival of one of its few dedicated gathering spaces.