Massachusetts lesbian bar that sparked Covid mask backlash is set to close
The bar opened with a mandatory mask policy in 2025, but relaxed its rules a year later, making them optional on Saturday nights
By Aaron Sugg
Massachusetts lesbian bar The Last Ditch has announced that it is seeking “new owners ASAP” and is “SOFT CLOSING effective immediately” after loosening its Covid-19 prevention policy.
Announcing the news on social media yesterday (26 October), The Last Ditch wrote: “WE ARE CLOSING.”
“We have put our lives on hold to foster networks of care, resources, and a home base for organising. It’s time we pass it on.”
The Last Ditch attempts to rebuild it’s team
“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 was founded in 2025 by three housemates. Asa Rosario, Jackie Matellian and Sage Territo created The Last Ditch after two other local queer establishments had recently closed.
The Last Ditch’s mask policy
Located in Greenfield, Massachusetts, it described its intended community as “dykes, transsexuals, gender freaks, workers, and their friends”.
The bar opened with a mandatory mask policy. Patrons were required to wear a well-fitted KN95 mask “or better” at all times.
The masks were intended to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission and make the bar safer for disabled people.
Making masks optional
A year later, on 31 August 2026, the bar announced that Saturday nights would become mask-optional. Its Instagram post said: “It is with love we inform our immunocompromised disabled divas we will be opening Saturday nights as mask optional.”
The announcement didn’t go down well with regular customers. Guests saw this as excluding the people the bar had promised to serve.
The Last Ditch posted its apology on 2 September 2026, two days after announcing its Saturday-night mask-optional policy on 31 August.
The apology
“We are sorry for our passive and dismissive tone of our change to the norms and schedule impacting the most intersectional of us,” wrote the owners. “We understand everyone faces different intersections and we are always working to consider all needs fully.”
The bar was experiencing financial difficulties at the time. Two of its three original owners had left the project, leaving the remaining owner responsible for repaying a $50,000 loan.
The bar said it had been trying to build a team but still lacked the board or leadership needed to manage the transfer to worker ownership. The business is being offered for sale at an estimated value of $70,000.