A lesbian bar in Massachusetts is facing backlash after changing its long-standing mask requirement for Saturday nights, leaving some patrons questioning whether the space can still serve the community it was built to protect.
Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue in Greenfield opened in 2025 with a mission centered around accessibility, mutual aid, and creating a queer space for people who often struggle to find one. Masks were previously required, with patrons expected to wear a well-fitted KN-95 or better.
Then came August 31.
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Saturday Night, Masks Optional
Last Ditch announced that Saturday nights would become mask-optional as a trial, saying the change would allow the bar to experiment with more traditional club nights featuring DJs, hosts, themes, and larger capacity.
The announcement also emphasized that accessibility remained a pillar of the bar’s mission, while adding that sometimes making the space work for everyone could mean “being wild.” For patrons in the disabled and immunocompromised queer community, however, the change felt anything but casual.
The lesbian bar continued to prioritize masked bookings and said its recurring Masked Social would remain in place. It also noted that different members of the queer community have different needs, including people who cannot wear masks because they need to read lips.
Still, the announcement quickly drew criticism, particularly over how suddenly the change was communicated.
On September 3, the lesbian bar apologized for what it called a casual announcement about changes affecting community access. The bar said the decision had followed meetings with community members, business advisers, and elders, and reiterated that accessibility remained central to its mission.
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The Bigger Problem: Keeping the Doors Open
There is another piece of this story that makes the situation considerably more complicated.
According to reporting from Pink News, the lesbian bar has been struggling financially similar to other queer bars around the U.S.. By the time of a September 11 community meeting, Jackie Matellian was the only original owner still involved in the bar’s daily operations after the other two stepped away months earlier.
Matellian reportedly became emotional during the meeting as she described the pressure of keeping the business afloat. She said she had been left responsible for a $50,000 business loan, had lived in her car for six months, and was working four jobs.
“It was not my passion project,” Matellian said. “I never really wanted this. I don’t think I’m doing a very good job.”
And that’s what makes the Last Ditch situation so difficult to neatly categorize. On one side is a community that sees masking as an important accessibility measure and fears losing one of the few spaces designed with their needs in mind. On the other is a struggling queer business trying to bring in enough people to survive.
For now, the Saturday mask-optional nights are still being tested. Last Ditch has continued to say masked events and bookings remain a priority.
The question is whether a space created to bring marginalized queer people together can find a way to keep its doors open without making some of those same people feel pushed back outside.