Viral Massachusetts lesbian bar announces it will be ‘soft closing’ after easing mask rules
Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue, a Massachusetts lesbian bar, says it is “soft closing” immediately and seeking new owners, after struggling to find a team to manage a worker-owned co-operative transfer. The closure follows attention last month over a change to its mask rules, though the article says the bar had been facing financial difficulties before that controversy.
Booked events will continue, while the bar says it expects to close this winter unless it finds buyers. It previously planned to lift its mask mandate for one night a week, prompting criticism and threats, as well as a statement from a Massachusetts Communist Party chapter condemning coverage it said could divide the LGBTQ community. The article reports that two owners had stepped back from daily operations and that remaining owner Jackie Matellian had lived in her truck for six months, worked four jobs and carried a $50,000 loan.
In short
- Last Ditch Bar is soft closing and looking for new owners.
- Previously booked events are set to continue.
- The bar had financial problems before its mask policy drew attention.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The bar’s owners could reasonably argue that easing mask rules for one night a week was a limited attempt to make the venue more accessible and financially viable, especially given its pre-existing financial difficulties and the strain on its remaining owner. A small venue may need room to adapt its policies and seek a sustainable ownership arrangement while continuing booked events.
The case against
Critics could reasonably argue that changing mask rules risked making customers who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 feel less safe or welcome, and that a venue serving an LGBTQ community has reason to take those concerns seriously. They could support maintaining stronger protections while asking the owners to explain how any change would preserve access and safety.
Art Culture Government Politics Trending Weird & Viral World