We said on Tuesday we were wondering if Taylor Lorenz was going to weigh in on that story from the Boston Herald about a lesbian bar that had "splintered the LGBTQ" community by announcing that it was going to go mask-optional on Saturday nights — in 2026. “Just say you’re being complicit in a mass disabling event and get it over with,” wrote one commenter on The Last Ditch's Instagram page announcing mask-optional night. Previously, patrons were required to wear a well-fitted KN-95 mask “or better” at all times. This editor wondered how one drank at a bar that required a KN-95 mask. He wasn't the only one, and Lorenz did indeed pop up to educate the rest of us on how those with long COVID protect themselves.
but how do you drink at the bar with a N95 on..... Like am I touched in the head for being confused
— delia (@delia_cai) September 22, 2026
No but also we are 7 years into the pandemic and it’s a little wild people aren’t aware of stuff like sip valves. These are what a lot of us have to rely on when we are on flights or have to consume water while being indoors for long periods. It’s rough
— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) Sep 22, 2026
You probably consume a lot of water when you're a lizard person with a metabolic issue and keep your apartment thermostat set at 87 degrees.
It’s wild that people aren’t aware of sip valves? Stop it. I fly all the time for work and have never seen one of these. Have they been referenced in popular culture and i missed it?
— Ian Berger (@BergerWorld) September 23, 2026
Do you ever wonder why the vast majority of people, who don't ever wear masks and have never heard of the insanity of sip valves until this very moment, are not all dead or dying?
— Jason David☦📖 (@JasonD_70) September 23, 2026
Because they're not immunocompromised like Lorenz and half of the patrons of The Last Ditch.
Wait…. seven years into the pandemic and you don’t realize the pandemic was over like 6 1/2 years ago?
— Ethyl (@DissyBissyGirl) September 23, 2026
Where the fuck have you been?
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Is this for real?
— CarrieLWebb 🇺🇸 (@webb_carrie) September 23, 2026
You do realize this is a mental illness at this point, right?
— Genki Jii-san (@weebineer) September 23, 2026
Wouldn’t the straw be exposed to what you believe to be sentient viruses out in the air?
— CCP virus (@StabMastaArson) September 23, 2026
That photo she posted reminds us of the little girl at school playing the flute through a hole in her mask.
So you take a straw that's sitting out among the infected masses, dancing & heavily breathing on a club floor around you with their moist droplets in the air & cram it right through your mask & think it protects you from anything?
— Section 52(1) Constitutional Supremacist (@MadLadMarcin) September 23, 2026
You rubes are a laugh riot.
Holy shit this was a real post.
— Axiomatic Truthfulness (@wealthgurutruth) September 23, 2026
You need serious psychological help.
— Freedom Für Immer (@sofoperator63) September 23, 2026
— CarmenCutlets 🇺🇸🇵🇷🇮🇹 MAGA (@CarmenCutlets) September 23, 2026
This editor's wife was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder (lupus erythematosus) years ago, but even she gave up the mask when everyone else did and stopped after the first booster. There are too many photos of Lorenz not wearing a mask to believe she uses one of these SIPmasks. We really believe the lesbian bar had an ulterior motive for keeping people's faces covered.
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