A viral Boston Globe article about a lesbian bar in turmoil after the owner axed its mandatory masking policy has sparked film adaptation buzz, according to a report.
UTA, which represents the Boston Globe, has been fielding both scripted and documentary inquiries about the bizarre culture war taking place within a small Massachusetts town’s queer community, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The Sept. 22 article titled, “A Western Mass. lesbian bar required KN-95 masks. When it changed the rules, all hell broke loose,” has been picked up by news outlets across the country and beyond, and gone viral on social media.
The tale of a struggling dive bar owner changing her spot’s masking policy to earn a few more bucks — drawing the wrath of mask fanatics in the process — has already generated “several thousand” new subscribers for the Globe, a spokesperson told The Post. The storied paper charges $1 a month for the first six months of a digital subscription, and then $30 a month.
“This story has certainly resonated with a wide range of audiences nationally and internationally,” a Globe spokesperson told The Post. “It is now one of the most-read stories we’ve published, and has already garnered many thousands of subscriptions.”
While articles are often turned into film adaptations, it’s harder and harder to get scripts picked up – so a viral story that has already generated national attention could help win over studios. The Globe piece is also chock-full of colorful characters who seem almost ready-made for the screen.
There’s Jackie Matellian, who uses she/they pronouns, the 26-year-old owner of Last Ditch Bar in Greenfield who’s drowning in debt – forced to live in her truck for six months and work four different jobs after her two business partners fled the venture.
Soe Noire, a performer and artist who identifies as a gender-expansive lesbian and uses he/him pronouns, is the basement bar’s most outspoken critic, accusing Matellian of racism and ableism for starting a once-a-week no-mask night at her small business.
Last Ditch bartender Mixxy is a trans woman who wears thick black eyeliner and is described as having “catlike poise.” Mixxy is closeted in her day job as an engineer and works for tips only at the bar.
Other people mentioned in the Globe’s reporting include Asa Rosario, a drag performer who uses it/its pronouns and one of the bar’s initial co-founders; an unnamed licensed therapist who acted as a mediator during a community meeting about the no-mask policy; and an online critic known as “Moss.”
Back in August, Last Ditch announced in an Instagram post that it was backing off the mandatory masking policy for one night a week as Matellian fought to claw back profits.
“It is with love we inform our immunocompromised disabled divas we will be opening Saturday nights as mask optional,” Last Ditch wrote in a post.
Patrons reacted with outrage online, accusing the bar of being complicit in a “mass disabling event,” writing they hope the venue gets “firebombed” and accusing the owner of being “ableist” and even “eugenicist.”
While film adaptations of articles are a long shot practically by definition, there’s plenty of precedent.
Robert Pattinson’s “Primetime,” a box office hit that opened in theatres this past weekend, is based on a 2007 Esquire article. The Boston Globe’s reporting in the early 2000s on the cover-up of abuse within the Catholic Church inspired the 2015 film “Spotlight,” which won the Oscar for best picture.
UTA declined to comment.