A Massachusetts lesbian bar that became an online sensation over its masking policy is now heading toward closure. Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue, in Greenfield, announced Monday that it was closing and seeking a buyer for the business.

"WE ARE CLOSING. We have put our lives on hold to foster networks of care, resources, and a home base for organizing. It's time we pass it on. We've been fighting since the beginning to fill out the team, and we still don't have a board/leadership to manage workers-owned co-op transfer. We are SOFT CLOSING effective immediately; all BOOKED events will CONTINUE, otherwise we are CLOSED," the bar wrote on Instagram.

"We need new owners ASAP, we close this winter," the bar also wrote. The announcement said previously booked events would continue even though the establishment was otherwise closing immediately.

The impending shutdown follows weeks of attention surrounding the venue and its decision to loosen its mask mandate for one night each week.

CLAY AND WILL DELIVER A “EULOGY” FOR A COVID-CONSCIOUS LESBIAN BAR

@ClayTravis and @willcain react to the closure of The Last Ditch, a COVID-conscious lesbian bar in Western Massachusetts. “A dark day in America.” https://t.co/2AAw5ucbwF — The Will Cain Show (@WillCainShow) October 27, 2026

Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue went viral last month after The Boston Globe reported on the weekly change. The adjustment sparked a fierce reaction from some critics who accused the owners of endangering disabled people.

Those critics compared the policy change to a "mass disabling event" and a "eugenicist" attack. Threats were also made against the establishment, turning a limited change to one night of masking rules into a full-blown community uproar.

After The Boston Globe published its article, a Massachusetts chapter of the Communist Party issued a statement condemning the piece. The chapter argued that the article was being used to divide the LGBTQ community.

A lesbian bar in Massachusetts made Saturdays mask-optional because it was losing money.

Then came the meltdown. The Last Ditch had required KN95s since opening in 2025, but after the owner fell about $50,000 into debt, she relaxed the rule one night a week. That triggered accusations of ableism, eugenics and racism, plus one person reportedly wishing the venue would be firebombed. The bar apologized. Then people attacked the apology because it had no alt text. Then they held a community meeting, and somehow that made everything worse. One of the original owners had already left. GO WOKE GO BROKE Writer: Sol https://t.co/EGipRUUuny — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 25, 2026

"The Western Massachusetts CPUSA rejects the use of conflicts among LGBTQIA+ people and organizations as a tool of division by the extreme right. We reaffirm our solidarity with all those struggling against the genocide of transgender people," the statement read.

Fox News host and comedian Jimmy Failla and Fox News contributor Kennedy mocked the controversy last month on Failla's "Fox Across America" show. Kennedy pointed directly to the market as the ultimate judge of the bar's policies and business model.

"Here's where the free market is beautiful," Kennedy said. "If there's a market for this, and you sell yourselves as safe and mask mandatory and all that stuff and that's when you're making your money, have at it. If that is not working, let the market decide."

Failla argued that the episode reflected a larger problem created by activists on the left. He said people who had been celebrated for airing grievances eventually came to expect businesses and others to accommodate every demand.

"In a post-Covid world, we placated the biggest moon bats, people we would have otherwise had laughed at and dismissed. And now, unfortunately, this is a big thing on the left that they created. They call these people the heroes, the pioneers, and the people worth celebrating. So now, they just show up and air grievances, and they expect to be catered to. But you know who doesn't cater to that? The free market, like you said. And now this business is going under."

The Boston Globe had previously reported that Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue was struggling financially before it changed the masking policy. The business problems therefore predated the controversy that pushed the bar into the national spotlight.

Two owners had stepped away from daily operations months earlier. One had enrolled in clown school, while another was a drag performer who used it/its pronouns.

Jackie Matellian remained involved in daily operations and faced considerable personal and financial pressure. She lived in her truck for six months while working four jobs and carrying a $50,000 loan.

The bar's Instagram announcement said its operators had put their lives on hold to build networks of care, resources, and a base for organizing. It also said they had struggled from the beginning to complete the team needed for a worker-owned cooperative transfer.

For now, booked events remain scheduled while ordinary operations have stopped. Unless new owners emerge quickly, the bar says it will close this winter, leaving the free market to deliver the final verdict after a remarkably bitter fight over one mask free night.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Conservative Mix. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.