A small lesbian bar in Massachusetts has spurred outrage among its patrons by dropping a mask requirement. The Boston Globe reports that Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue in Greenfield has required patrons to wear KN-95 masks “or better” since its opening last year. It has now dropped the requirement on Saturdays to bring in much-needed cash, but backlash swiftly followed. Customers raged that the move was a “mass disabling event,” with one writing that they hoped the “venue gets firebombed for robbing fellow immunocompromised people of their Saturday plans just to scrape extra revenue from ablists.” A mediation session ended in tears this month after irate patrons hijacked the event. As the bar struggles to stay afloat and keep up with rent payments, owner Jackie Matellian tells the Globe that the fight is still ongoing, saying, “That’s the price you pay to be in community.” The Globe notes that Greenfield, a city of 17,768, has not reported a new COVID-19 case in over two months.
Read it at The Boston Globe
