‘Mask-Free’ Night at Lesbian Bar Takes Shocking Turn

A Massachusetts lesbian bar already caught in a furious battle over its COVID-era mask rules faced another chaotic night Saturday after its owner reportedly became concerned that outsiders were trying to “infiltrate” the venue.

Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue in Greenfield had been preparing for one of its newly introduced mask-optional Saturday nights when the doors were abruptly closed to the public and would-be customers were told to return later.

The unusual scene was the latest chapter in a controversy that has turned the small basement bar into an unlikely national talking point.

The trouble began shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday, when more than a dozen people arrived for a scheduled goth-themed night featuring underground DJs Hannibal Directive and Puppy Synthesis.

Instead of being allowed inside, patrons were reportedly told that staff members were holding an emergency meeting and that they should return around 10 p.m.

By the time the doors reopened, the crowd outside had grown dramatically.

But there was another surprise waiting.

According to the New York Post, the bar announced that unspecified “safety breaches” had prompted organizers to turn the night into a private event. People attempting to enter reportedly had to identify someone they knew inside before being admitted.

Customers were also asked to surrender their IDs at the door and retrieve them when leaving, according to the newspaper.

The extraordinary security measures came amid concerns from owner Jackie Matellian that the venue was being “infiltrated,” the Post reported.

What exactly prompted those fears was not immediately clear.

Despite weeks of fierce arguments over the venue’s decision to relax its mask rule, the crowd that eventually made it inside was overwhelmingly mask-free. Fewer than a dozen patrons were reportedly wearing masks as the night continued.

That is particularly notable because masks had once been one of the defining features of Last Ditch.

The bar opened in 2025 with a policy requiring customers to wear a well-fitting KN95 mask or better. Its founders promoted the space as especially welcoming to disabled and immunocompromised members of the queer community.

That changed on Aug. 31.

Facing serious financial pressure, Last Ditch announced that Saturday nights would become mask-optional in hopes of attracting larger crowds for DJs, themed parties and traditional nightlife events.

The bar kept its mask requirement in place during the rest of the week.

The relatively modest change triggered an enormous backlash online.

Some critics accused management of abandoning immunocompromised customers, while others called for a boycott. One commenter described the move as participation in a “mass disabling event,” while another accused the venue of putting disabled people at risk.

The Boston Globe reported that some reactions became even more extreme, including accusations that the policy was ableist, racist or even “eugenicist.” The controversy quickly spread far beyond Greenfield and attracted national attention.

For Matellian, 26, the dispute arrived at an especially difficult moment.

Last Ditch was originally founded by Matellian and housemates Asa Rosario and Sage Territo. By September, however, Matellian was the only one of the three still involved in running the business day to day.

The Globe reported that the other two founders had stepped away months earlier amid personal pressures and health concerns. One had enrolled in clown school.

That left Matellian confronting the bar’s growing financial problems largely on her own.

The venue had reportedly fallen behind on bills as attendance declined, while its policy of allowing some customers inside even when they could not afford the cover charge added additional financial strain.

Before changing the mask policy, management consulted with the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce while searching for ways to increase attendance, according to the Globe.

During an emotional community meeting earlier this month, Matellian acknowledged how serious the situation had become.

She said she had been left responsible for a roughly $50,000 business loan taken out with the other founders and revealed that she had been living in her vehicle for months.

“It was not my passion project,” Matellian told attendees, according to the Globe. “I never really wanted to do this.”

She also acknowledged, “I don’t think I’m doing a very good job.”

The September meeting did little to settle the disagreement.

Approximately 10 people attended in person while another 10 to 15 joined through Zoom, according to the Globe. Critics continued challenging management over the Saturday policy, while supporters argued the bar needed to bring in more customers if it hoped to survive.

The dispute highlights an unusual dilemma for the struggling venue.

Last Ditch built much of its identity around maintaining stricter COVID precautions than most American nightlife businesses, even years after widespread pandemic restrictions disappeared. Its website and event listings have promoted masks as part of the venue’s accessibility policies, and a May event advertised that masks were both required and provided by the establishment.

Inside the basement venue, reminders of that philosophy remain everywhere.

N95 masks are available for patrons, air purifiers help circulate the room, and signs encourage customers to mask. The space has also offered events such as masked social gatherings and virtual participation for people uncomfortable attending in person.

Saturday nights are now supposed to offer an alternative.

One patron, 43-year-old Pete from nearby Northampton, told the Post that wearing a mask inside a bar simply felt “off-putting.”

Another customer, 24-year-old UMass Amherst student Patricia Sonaike, said the Saturday policy made the venue seem more welcoming to her.

“I thought it would be more inclusive for me to go on Saturdays,” Sonaike told the newspaper.

She also questioned whether the bitter internal fighting could ultimately damage the very spaces participants were trying to protect.

“In my humblest of opinions, the moral grandstanding that is happening right now is like how a lot of these queer and BIPOC spaces won’t last,” she said.

Once Saturday’s gathering finally got underway, the atmosphere reportedly looked much more like an ordinary nightclub.

Patrons danced to electronic music beneath flashing neon lights while anime played on a projector. The black-and-white checkered dance floor features a stripper pole in its center.

But the controversy surrounding Last Ditch is anything but ordinary.

A decision intended to help a financially struggling neighborhood bar attract customers one night each week has instead sparked boycott threats, viral media coverage, angry community meetings and now concerns about outsiders attempting to enter the venue.

For Matellian, the larger question may no longer be simply whether customers should wear masks on Saturdays.

It is whether Last Ditch can survive the fight over them.