Massachusetts Lesbian Bar Faces Backlash Over Mask Policy Change
Left 33%
Center 0%
Right 67%
1 left · 0 center · 2 right
What happened
On Sept. 22, The Boston Globe published an article about Last Ditch, a lesbian bar in Greenfield, Massachusetts, that drew local backlash after announcing Saturday nights would be mask-optional, easing a KN-95 requirement one night a week. Critics accused the bar of ableism; some social-media comments called for a boycott and included threats of violence. The Western Massachusetts chapter of the Communist Party USA then issued a statement calling the Globe piece not newsworthy, labeling the paper “MAGA Media,” and pledging solidarity with queer and transgender people in the region. Globe communications director Adam Bagni said the locally owned newsroom makes independent editorial decisions. Last Ditch called the Globe article “abysmal journalism” and appealed for donations, saying owners work unpaid and the venue was already financially strained.
Sourcing check · Mostly on the record · 3 articles
1 of 2 articles cite a named source for the story. It was on the record from the first report.
What these terms mean and how they're counted
- On the record · names a source 1 of 2
- On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: Pete and Patricia Sonaike
- Primary evidence · cites a document or data 0 of 2
- Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: None cited.
- Credits another outlet 0 of 2
- The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: Each article presents its own reporting.
- Unnamed sources 0 of 2
- The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
- How it developed
- When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Sep 27, 04:11 UTC by New York Post, naming its source.
- Not counted 1
- Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
ONE-SIDED THIS WEEK.
Only right-leaning outlets have covered this story in the last two days;
The Hill reported it on 2026-09-25.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
Left-leaning coverage has not reported this story at all. Right-leaning coverage reports that a Massachusetts Communist Party chapter attacked the Boston Globe over its article on Last Ditch, a Greenfield lesbian bar that made Saturdays mask-optional and then drew boycott calls. The "MAGA Media" branding appears in Fox News and the Washington Examiner. The Globe's reply that it is locally owned appears only in Fox News. Readers of left-leaning outlets miss the episode entirely.
Right-leaning outlets split on what to lead with. Two pieces open on the communist statement. A separate right-leaning write-up on Fox News instead opens on Bill Maher mocking an intolerant left and never names the party chapter.
Did Last Ditch keep Saturday nights mask-optional after the boycott calls?
Bottom line
A Massachusetts communist chapter branded the Boston Globe MAGA Media over a lesbian bar's Saturday mask change. That fight is in Fox News and the Washington Examiner, not in left-leaning coverage.
The receipts — 5 facts one side's coverage lacks
- Western Massachusetts CPUSA branded the Boston Globe MAGA Media
- The CPUSA said the Globe article is not newsworthy except in the context of upcoming midterm elections
- A commenter told Last Ditch they hope the venue gets firebombed
- Greenfield had not reported a COVID-19 case in more than two months
- Last Ditch called the Globe article abysmal journalism
The Right View
Washington Examiner and Fox News report that the Western Massachusetts CPUSA condemned the Globe for the Last Ditch story, tying the paper to corporate lobbies, a prior endorsement of Rep. Seth Moulton, and alleged courting of the national right ahead of midterms. They quote the CPUSA statement rejecting use of LGBTQIA+ conflicts as a “tool of division” and citing “genocide of transgender people.” Coverage details the bar’s Aug. 31 Instagram post, subsequent apology, community-meeting criticism (including of a White mediator), and comments wishing the venue firebombed or calling the change a “mass disabling event.” Fox also reports Bill Maher’s Real Time segment mocking the bar’s mission language and “intolerant left” reaction, and notes COVID was declared over in 2023 with no recent local cases. The Globe’s independence statement and Last Ditch’s financial-volunteer model are included.
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive: named actors (Last Ditch, The Boston Globe, Western Massachusetts CPUSA, Adam Bagni), a dated Globe article, a public CPUSA statement, Instagram posts, and attributed comments are checkable. Established: the bar eased Saturday masking, backlash and violent comments were reported, CPUSA attacked the Globe’s coverage, and the Globe and bar issued public responses. Characterizations of the Globe as “MAGA Media,” claims the article existed only to feed a far-right audience or midterm politics, and assertions of “genocide” remain the CPUSA’s allegations, not independently established facts here. No left-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for the full Globe article and CPUSA statement as primary documents, any further on-the-record reply from Last Ditch or the Globe beyond the communications statement, and whether additional local reporting corroborates the meeting comments and the bar’s finances.
3 sources
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