Full Breakdown
Last Ditch Bar’s Saturday Mask-Optional Policy Triggers Backlash in Greenfield, Massachusetts
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue, a lesbian-focused bar in Greenfield, Massachusetts, announced in August that its mask requirement would be lifted on Saturday nights. The change was presented as “mask optional” for “immunocompromised disabled divas.” The bar’s owners said the policy shift was intended to increase revenue and keep the business afloat after falling behind on bills and a $50,000 loan.
Background & Context
The venue opened in 2025 with a set of “house rules” that included mandatory masks to protect patrons who are immunocompromised. The policy reflected broader public-health guidance that persisted after the federal government declared the COVID-19 pandemic over in 2023 and most state and local masking mandates were lifted. Greenfield had not reported a COVID-19 case in more than two months at the time of the announcement.
Timeline
- 2025 – Last Ditch Bar opens with a mask mandate for disabled and immunocompromised guests.
- August (year unspecified) – Bar posts on Instagram that Saturday nights will be “mask optional.”
- September (later in the month) – Bar holds its monthly community meeting to address the controversy; the meeting is attended in person and via Zoom.
Data & Statistics
- The bar carries a $50,000 loan taken out with its three original owners.
- Owner Jackie Matellian has been living in a vehicle for six months while working four jobs to meet payments.
- The landlord is demanding $3,900 in rent by the end of September.
- Attendance on Saturday nights has remained “nearly empty” despite drink specials and DJ events that previously drew dozens of patrons.
Official Statements & Responses
- The bar’s Instagram announcement read: “It is with love we inform our immunocompromised disabled divas we will be opening Saturday nights as mask optional.”
- Critics noted the apology post lacked “alt text,” a description needed for visually impaired users, and called the omission “not an accessible post.”
- At the September community meeting, a licensed therapist who acted as mediator was described by some participants as “wildly unsafe” because of mandatory-reporter obligations.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It is with love we inform our immunocompromised disabled divas we will be opening Saturday nights as mask optional,” — Last Ditch
Why It Matters
The dispute highlights tensions between small-business survival strategies and accessibility commitments within LGBTQ+ spaces. The bar’s attempt to relax health safeguards for financial reasons has been framed by some community members as ableist, raising questions about how venues balance economic pressures with the needs of disabled and immunocompromised patrons.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
No alternative figures for the bar’s financial obligations or attendance levels appear in the sources, leaving the full extent of the economic impact unclear.
What’s Next
The landlord’s $3,900 rent demand is due by the end of September, and the bar’s owners have indicated they will continue to operate Saturday nights under the mask-optional policy despite low turnout. No further public statements from local officials or health authorities have been reported.