A lesbian bar in Greenfield, Massachusetts, sparked community backlash after lifting its mask mandate for one night a week, with accusations of ableism and boycott directed at the struggling business.
Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue recently removed its mask requirement on Saturdays in an effort to boost business, but some members of the small city’s queer community objected to the change, according to The Boston Globe.
Some critics accused the bar’s owners of putting disabled people at risk and compared the policy change to a “mass disabling event” and a “eugenicist” attack while also wishing violence against the establishment, according to The Boston Globe.
“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 bar’s social media post announcing the change.
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“People like you kill disabled people in the name of your own leisure and convenience,” wrote another.
“Just say youre being complicit in a mass disabling event and get it over with,” a third said.
“When y’all close, let the record state it was ableism + complying in advance, because that’s what it is,” another wrote.
“Does COVlD not disable people on Saturday nights?” added another user, who had a picture of himself in a mask as his profile picture.
This comes years after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared over by the federal government in 2023. State and local governments as well as most businesses across the country had also lifted masking requirements several years ago.
Additionally, Greenfield had not reported a COVID-19 case in more than two months, according to The Boston Globe.
The bar has been sparsely attended on what would normally be busy Saturday nights as some angered customers have called for a boycott, according to The Boston Globe.
The backlash came as the bar was already struggling financially under to the bars unusual business model that includes rules such as “Nobody will be barred from entry due to lack of funds.”
Last Ditch also had the mask mandate in place as part of a policy intended to make the space accessible to disabled and immunocompromised patrons, meaning the face covering requirement was designed to protect anyone who was immunocompromised.
Customers were told that they were expected to mask up unless they were actively taking a bite of food or a sip of a drink.
The bars owners began to fall behind on their bills and were unable to pay themselves or even their staff.
Jackie Matellian, the remaining owner involved in daily operations, lived in her truck for six months, working four jobs and carrying a $50,000 loan, according to The Boston Globe.
The two other owners stepped back from daily operations months ago, including one who had enrolled in clown school and another who is a drag performer using it/its pronouns.
Because of the financial woes, the bar decided to lift the mask mandate o
