BS BULLETIN:

• A struggling Massachusetts lesbian bar made masks optional on Saturday nights in hopes of bringing back customers.
• Critics responded with accusations of ableism and “eugenics,” calls for a boycott — and one commenter said they hoped the place would be firebombed.
• The bar apologized, only to face another backlash because its apology didn’t include alt-text for the visually impaired.

A struggling lesbian bar in Massachusetts tried something radical to save its business.

It let customers take off their masks.

One night a week.

All hell broke loose.

Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue in Greenfield had required patrons to wear a properly fitted KN-95 mask “or better” unless they were actively eating or drinking.

But business was struggling, bills were piling up and the owners couldn’t pay themselves or their workers.

So after consulting with the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce, the bar announced Aug. 31 that masks would become optional on Saturday nights.

The announcement tried to break the news gently.

“It is with love we inform our immunocompromised disabled divas we will be opening Saturday nights as mask optional.”

Love was not returned.

The post generated hundreds of comments, including accusations that the bar was ableist and participating in a “mass disabling event.”

One commenter accused the owners of killing disabled people for “leisure and convenience.”

Another went considerably further, writing that they hoped the venue would be “firebombed” for taking Saturday nights away from immunocompromised patrons.

Remember: Masks were still required at the bar six nights a week.

Last Ditch tried apologizing.

That didn’t work either.

The apology itself sparked another round of criticism because the Instagram post didn’t include alt-text describing its image for visually impaired people.

“This is not an accessible post,” one critic complained, saying it demonstrated a “lack of care or interest in Disability intersectionality.”

Then came the community meeting.

On Sept. 11, Last Ditch held its monthly meeting in an attempt to work through the controversy. A licensed therapist was brought in to mediate.

That created more problems.

Some attendees objected because the therapist was white. Others said her presence made them feel unsafe because, as a therapist, she was a mandated reporter required to report certain suspected abuse.

By then, only one of the bar’s three original founders, Jackie Matellian, remained involved in its daily operations. The Boston Globe reported that one of the other founders had enrolled in clown school.

Matellian broke down during the meeting.

She said she’d spent six months living in her truck, worked four jobs and carried a $50,000 loan while trying to keep Last Ditch alive.

“It was not my passion project,” Matellian said. “I never really wanted this. I don’t think I’m doing a very good job.”

That didn’t end the criticism, either.

One participant accused her of choosing to “spill tears” and “center your feelings,” calling the behavior racist and deflecting.

And the whole reason for changing the mask rule — attracting more Saturday-night customers — doesn’t appear to be working.

Fox News reports that the bar has remained nearly empty on recent Saturdays despite DJs and drink specials, while some former patrons continue calling for a boycott.

At one point someone reportedly floated a Lady Gaga-themed event as a way to bring customers back.

That idea apparently didn’t survive either.

“Gaga is canceled,” a bartender responded.

“Gaga is Zionist.”

MY QUICK TAKE

I kept checking to make sure I hadn’t accidentally opened The Onion.

A lesbian bar is going broke, relaxes its KN-95 mandate for ONE NIGHT, gets accused of eugenics, apologizes without alt-text, gets accused of ableism again, brings in a therapist, gets accused of racism — and somebody suggests clown school.

No satire writer alive could get all of that past an editor.

DBS WIRE SOURCES

• Fox News — Massachusetts lesbian bar ignites fury after easing mask rules
• Boston Globe — A Western Mass. lesbian bar required KN-95 masks. When it changed the rules, all hell broke loose
• New York Post — Massachusetts lesbian bar faces backlash after lifting mask mandate one night a week
• Townhall — A Massachusetts lesbian bar relaxed its masking rules and mayhem ensued