Lesbian Bar’s Mask Mandate Sparks Online Backlash - Newsweek

A local bar in Greenfield, Massachusetts, has sparked an uproar on social media with its mask policy update.

Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue, a lesbian bar, posted on Instagram late last month that it would open up Saturday night as mask-optional, "to try out typical club nights with themes/hosts/DJs/full capacity," The Boston Globe first reported. The post was then flooded with backlash regarding the new policy.

"We’ve decided to show how much we love our immunocompromised divas by sending them to the hospital to make more money," one comment on the post read weeks ago.

"Last Ditch, I'm so disappointed in you. -One of the many continuing to mask folks, not just for my sake, but for the sake of EVERYONE. I had been dreaming of coming to the bar as a very rare foray into nightlife, and now.... dream shattered. Thanks," another post read.

According to the bar's website, visitors are asked to wear a KN-95 respirator mask "or better” the entire time, before the new policy tweak.

Reaction on social media has seemed pointed not only at the bar's masking rules, but also at the responses the new policy prompted.

"Leftism is a mental disease. If you doubt that, read below," Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz posted Wednesday on X.

Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, posted to X on Wednesday, "getting a group together to visit the weird lesbian bar in western mass dm if interested, can’t talk here." Former Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz replied to DeLauro's post saying, "OTW" which typically means on the way.

In a follow-up, DeLauro posted, "trip cancelled, no one wanted to mask."

Texas State Representative Mitch Little, a Republican, also weighed in, saying, "There are parts of the country that live in a different reality tunnel than us."

Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, said on X, "Read this entire story - another example of why we must protect local journalism at all costs."

Newsweek reached out to the bar via email for comment.

The policy hits on a widely used COVID-19 era mandate launched in an attempt to protect people from the spread of the virus. It was common to see masks inside grocery stores, airports, sporting events or large gatherings during the pandemic.

In their post about accessibility, the business said in part, "Accessibility is a pillar of our mission, AND our mission is also to make the space work for everyone and everything radical, sometimes that's being wild! We strive for solidarity, transparency of risks, and connecting us all in this revolution."

In an update this month, the bar apologized to their community members regarding the policy change, saying in part on Instagram, "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 bar is in Greenfield, Massachusetts, a city in the state's northwestern quadrant. It is close to the New Hampshire border and roughly under two hours from Boston.

The bar's mask policy states that wearing a KN-95 respirator mask is required at all times. People may contact the venue to discuss the possibility of an exception, the bar's website notes.

"Anyone who simply refuses without engaging in a good faith conversation to reach an accommodation will be asked to leave the space if necessary and provided with an opportunity to engage in an accountability process if deemed appropriate," the website says.

The mask-optional Saturday policy is running in September as a trial, the bar said. This is to include those who can't wear masks such as lip readers, the post on Instagram says. The bar still highlighted that mask-required bookings are prioritized, even on Saturdays.

The initial backlash of the policy seemed to be geared toward the bar for not pushing the mask mandate and being "insulting" and "disappointing" for the community it serves.

After the Globe's report first documenting the uproar of the policy, lawmakers and many others on social media chimed in about the bar having a mask policy in general in 2026.

In a separate post on X, Cruz said in part: "Wow. I honestly did not know that there was a single place on the planet—in 2026—that still had an idiotic mask mandate."

Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gray R. Thomas and Edward T. Cummins.