The lesbian bar went viral last month after telling its self-described "immunocompromised disabled divas" it would drop its mandatory mask policy one night a week, six years into the pandemic, to bring in more business. More than a dozen patrons showed up shortly after 7 p.m. For a goth night featuring DJs "Hannibal Directive" and "Puppy Synthesis." They got turned away at the door and told to come back at 10 p.m. Instead.
The mask policy shift already split the bar's regulars before this latest wrinkle. Some patrons who rely on masking for health reasons pushed back hard when the owner floated loosening the rule, and the bar's response, framing new arrivals as potential infiltrators, only added another layer to the standoff over who gets in and when.
For a small bar trying to stay afloat, the fight over masks turned a routine business decision into a public spectacle. Regular customers now face shifting rules from week to week, and newcomers walking in for a themed night got a lecture on infiltration instead of a drink.
A bar known for catering to disabled and immunocompromised patrons now finds itself accused of treating its own paying customers like suspects.