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Lesbian bars are dwindling across the US. How online outrage thrust one into the spotlight

On Monday, The Boston Globe published a story detailing intense backlash against Last Ditch, a lesbian bar in Greenfield, Massachusetts, after the venue announced a mask-optional policy for Saturday nights to address financial struggles.
Owner Jackie Matellian revealed she is working multiple jobs and living in her car to support the $50,000 bar after two co-founders departed, leaving her responsible for a struggling venue that is not her passion project.
Vitriolic Instagram backlash followed the announcement, with commenters accusing the bar of ableism and racism, while some users attacked staff and customers with commentary on their appearances and unabashed homophobic rhetoric.
The Globe reported the story is its best performing story of the year and allegedly gained more than 1,000 new subscribers, even as Matellian faces a landlord's demand for $3,900 by month's end.
Broader tensions surrounding COVID-19 precautions and queer community autonomy have intensified six years after the pandemic's onset, with marginalized spaces increasingly becoming fodder for internet-wide social reckonings that pit vulnerable groups against one another.

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A Lesbian Bar, a Rule About Face Masks, and an Unusual Dispute that Reached the US Congress.

Last Ditch stopped demanding masks on Saturdays to try to survive financially and ended up at the center of a national discussion on inclusion, public health and the divisions of the American left

2 days ago·Vicente López, Argentina

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Australian Financial Review

Lean Right

The small-town lesbian bar that was devoured by wokeness

Suddenly, the Last Ditch is the most famous bar in America, a source of global amusement and a cautionary tale about what DEI totalitarianism can do.

3 days ago·Sydney, Australia

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capitalisminstitute.org

Right

Bill Maher Slams Left Over Lesbian Bar Mask Backlash

Bill Maher tore into the intolerant left after a Massachusetts lesbian bar faced furious backlash for making Saturday nights mask-optional, a move meant to keep the doors open. On Friday’s episode of HBO’s “Real Time,” the comedian walked viewers through the mess at Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue in Greenfield, Massachusetts, where owners tried […]

4 days ago

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