{"id":815115,"date":"2026-10-27T04:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T04:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/815115\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T04:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T04:38:09","slug":"massachusetts-lesbian-bar-makes-frantic-effort-to-find-new-owners-after-relaxing-masking-policy-massachusetts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/815115\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts lesbian bar makes frantic effort to find new owners after relaxing masking policy | Massachusetts"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Massachusetts<\/a> lesbian bar that went viral for loosening its Covid mask policy last month announced plans to \u201csoft close\u201d on Monday as it seeks new ownership.<\/p>\n

The Last Ditch bar, in the small city of Greenfield, said in an Instagram post<\/a> that it was searching for co-owners, new owners or a full sale, and that it would \u201csoft close effective immediately\u201d, with \u201conly booked events\u201d continuing while it closes this winter. It had opened just last year as a bar for \u201cdykes, transsexuals, gender freaks, workers, and their friends\u201d.<\/p>\n

Last month the bar went viral following a Boston Globe story<\/a> documenting a masking dispute after the owners attempted to relax the bar\u2019s Covid mask-wearing policy for one night a week in a bid to drive up Saturday business. The bar had been struggling to raise revenue while adhering to a strict policy of mask-wearing, but the proposed change prompted a backlash from customers who accused the owners of ableism and abandoning immunocompromised people.<\/p>\n

There was then a backlash to those critics, with people piling on and mocking customers\u2019 concerns about contracting Covid.<\/p>\n

The publicity did also attract some support to the bar, but evidently, not enough. \u201cWe put our lives on hold to foster networks of care, resources and a home base for organizing. It\u2019s time we pass it on,\u201d the bar said on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been fighting since the beginning to fill out the team, and we still don\u2019t have a board\/leadership to manage workers\u2019 owned co-op transfer. We are soft closing effective immediately; all booked events will continue; otherwise, we are closed.\u201d<\/p>\n

In seeking new ownership, the bar noted that the sale would include the furniture, equipment, inventory and social media pages, to an estimated value of $70,000.<\/p>\n

As set out in the Globe\u2019s article, the bar was already in financial trouble before the masking furor, and two of the three original owners<\/a> had dropped out of the project. The remaining owner was left with the responsibility of repaying the $50,000 loan the three took out to open the bar and was living out of her truck and working several jobs to try to keep it running.<\/p>\n

The Guardian has reached out to the Last Ditch bar for comment.<\/p>\n