A small lesbian bar in Western Massachussetts gave us one of the most viral news stories of the year with its controversial decision to loosen restrictions on its mask mandate . One of the owners also has ties to the cheerleading team at Smith College.
Her co-owner, who is allegedly involved in the same polycule, once submitted a mix that was deemed unusable.
Even if the music used at cheerleading competitions is often chaotic, this 104-second clip is unlike anything you have ever heard. I challenge you to find a consistent 4-count.
Last Ditch is a lesbian bar in Western Massachussetts.
If you are not already familiar with this story, it was first discussed by the Blocked and Reported podcast on Sept. 17. Social media was set on fire when The Boston Globe picked it up about five days later.
The Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue is located in Greenfield at the north end of the Pioneer Valley area in Western Massachusetts. It is a bar for “dykes, transsexuals, gender freaks, workers, and their friends” that occupies a basement space of a former lesbian bar that closed during the pandemic. Cocktails are $10. Beers are $5, $6 or $7.
Last Ditch, which first opened in April of 2025, previously required its patrons to wear a well-fitted KN-95 mask for entry. The mask must be worn at all times. It can only be removed to drink or to eat. It must be put right back on after each sip or bite.
In an effort to draw new and more consistent customers while facing a mountain of rising debt, the bar recently announced a change to its mask policy. Saturday nights would be mask optional.
The announcement did not go over well. Patrons accused Last Ditch of being ableist and eugenicist during a 3.5-hour community meeting on Sept. 11. They feel betrayed. An apology posted by the bar to Instagram, which did not include alt-text for visually impaired readers, made the backlash even louder.
That is only a small snapshot of the full story. It goes so much deeper than you could ever imagine.
The Boston Globe went to Last Ditch for karaoke night on Wednesday to see what it is all about. Brooke Hauser found a group of disgruntled patrons who are tired of being the butt of the joke. They feel as though they are being used as a political football. In reality, people on both sides of the aisle have joined proverbial hands to enjoy this hilarious saga together.
Owner Jackie Matellian coaches the cheerleading team at Smith College.
Jackie Matellian is the only remaining founder of The Last Ditch. Three former housemates originally opened the bar together. Two of the original founders stepped back from daily operations months ago. One of them left to enroll in clown school.
Matellian works four jobs to keep the bar alive. She even lived/lives out of her truck to keep her expenses at a minimum.
Prior to opening The Last Ditch, Matellian was hired as the head cheer coach at Smith College in 2024. Her LinkedIn still lists her as the head coach today.
Smith College is a private liberal arts college for women. It does not accept cisgender men as undergraduate students. It is widely considered the most liberal college in the United States. More than 50% of students identify as LGBTQ+.
The cheerleading program operates as a club sport rather than a varsity NCAA team. They are dedicated to their craft.
An account on X, @orangesarenot, claims to be the best friend of a former cheerleader at Smith. Matellian was her head coach.
According to @orangesarenot, Matellian was in a polycule with one of her former co-owners. A polycule is defined as a “connected network of people linked through romantic, sexual, or intimate polyamorous relationships.” Members are often deeply involved in each other’s lives, but not everyone has to date everyone else. Sometimes they do all date, sometimes they don’t.
@orangesarenot claims Matellian was involved with some form of a polycule with her other bar owners. One of those other bar owners supposedly submitted the following mix (dated 02/27/2025) for one of Smith College’s cheer showcases.
My contribution to the greenfield lesbian bar story: one of the owners was the Smith college cheer coach. The other owner (in same polycule) made this mix for the showcase. It was deemed unusable for performance. Please listen to it it’s incredible pic.twitter.com/sZbP2R0uEy
— ally (@orangesarenot) September 23, 2026
I have never heard anything like it. The metronome is not on beat and none of the beats match. The transitions are insane. A random dog bark and an ambient siren noise really puts it over the top for me. It was deemed “unusable for the performance.”
To be fair to Matellian’s former co-owner, the average cheer mix is pretty chaotic. For example:
The Smith College submission is next level. My brain cannot compute.