On a recent Saturday night in Greenfield, Massachusetts, a bar that once drew a small but loyal crowd was nearly empty.
There was a bartender, drink specials, and the kind of DJ programming that had once helped bring people through the door. But the room at Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue had become a symbol of a much larger dispute—one that began with a single policy change and quickly turned into a boycott, a community meeting meltdown, and a financial crisis for the person left holding the lease.
The change was straightforward: masks would become optional on Saturday nights.
For most bars, that might barely register. At Last Ditch, it detonated.
The Greenfield venue opened in 2025 as a lesbian bar and community space with an unusually expansive set of house rules.
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