free Saturday nearly cancelled at Massachusetts lesbian bar at center of controversy

Key Points:

• Last Ditch Bar, a lesbian bar in Greenfield, Massachusetts, faced controversy after lifting its mandatory mask policy for one night a week to boost business, sparking backlash from its mostly immunocompromised and disabled clientele.
• On the first mask-free Saturday, the bar nearly canceled the event last minute, turning away patrons and later restricting entry to a private event with ID checks, citing unspecified safety breaches.
• Despite criticism labeling the mask policy change as harmful to disabled patrons, most attendees on the mask-free night chose not to wear masks, with some expressing a desire for more inclusive social options.
• The bar, which opened last year with strict COVID-19 safety measures and served as a queer safe space, has struggled financially, with its last remaining owner revealing personal hardships and uncertainty about the bar’s future.
• The decision to lift mask mandates has intensified divisions within the local queer community, highlighting tensions between public health concerns and the need for social connection in marginalized spaces.