Communists Accuse Boston Globe of ‘Courting the Extreme Right’ for Its Viral Story About Lesbian Bar Mask Mandate

A Massachusetts communist party is accusing the Boston Globe of appealing to the “extreme right” by publishing a viral story about a lesbian bar roiled by the decision to partially lift a Covid-era mask mandate.Earlier this week, the Boston Globe Magazine published an article about the drama that engulfed a lesbian bar at Greenfield, Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue. The bar billed itself as an establishment for “dykes, transsexuals, gender freaks, workers, and their friends,” and vowed that no one would be turned away because they could not pay. In August 2026, the bar announced on Instagram that it would be relaxing its mask mandate, making it optional for patrons to wear KN-95 masks, but only on Saturdays. While Greenfield had not reported any new Covid cases in two months, the announcement infuriated commentators who accused the bar of being ableist and eugenicist. Two of the three founders of the bar have abandoned the establishment, with one signing up for clown school. In light of the story’s success, the Communist Party Club of Massachusetts blasted the Boston Globe for “targeting Last Ditch” and called for “solidarity with the queer and transgender people of our region.”The statement accused the Boston Globe of “courting the outrage of the national extreme right and directing it at our region.”“The September 22nd article is not newsworthy, except in the context of the upcoming midterm elections in which transgender rights are a central political issue, as well as a far-right national consumer base which makes the scrutiny of transgender lives profitable,” the communist club added. A spokesman for the Boston Globe, Adam Bagni, responded to the accusation, telling The New York Sun, “The Boston Globe is locally owned, and our newsroom makes editorial decisions independently, guided by our commitment to fair and accurate reporting.”The Boston Globe was purchased by John and Linda Henry, who own the Boston Red Sox, in 2013 for $70 million. The acquisition came after the paper had suffered years of financial losses while it was owned by the New York Times Company. The Boston Globe said in 2009 it was on track to lose $85 million. In an effort to push the paper to cut costs, the New York Times Company threatened to shut down the Boston paper as it sought to bring about an end to lifetime job guarantees for more than 400 employees and to impose wage cuts. Since the ownership of the paper changed hands more than a decade ago, it has seen an increase in subscriptions and traffic. In August, the paper’s chief consumer revenue officer, Tom Brown, told the Press Gazette that the total number of subscriptions is up 30 percent compared to 2019, and the number of digital subscriptions is up 180 percent. After a period of rapid growth between 2019 and 2021, the paper had seen new subscriptions level off. In March 2025, the paper hit a peak of 12.3 million monthly visits. But in July 2026, there were 9.4 million visits, around the same level as in November 2024. The buzzy Last Ditch story is giving the paper another boost of subscriptions and traffic. Semafor’s Max Tani reported that the story led to more than 1,000 subscriptions in one day. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe’s managing editor said the story was “by far our best performing story of the year.” The surge in subscriptions appears to have continued as NiemanLab reported that the paper has seen “several thousand” new subscriptions in the three days since the story was published.The Boston Globe offers a promotional rate of $1 a month for six months for new subscribers. The test for the paper will be to try to keep its new subscribers after the introductory rate ends and the monthly price increases to roughly $30 a month.

Communists Accuse Boston Globe of ‘Courting the Extreme Right’ for Its Viral Story About Lesbian Bar Mask Mandate

Communists Accuse Boston Globe of ‘Courting the Extreme Right’ for Its Viral Story About Lesbian Bar Mask Mandate

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