LeavingCharlieGraphic2Leaving Charlie, A short lesbian film needs your help!

Leaving Charlie is a new short film about a lesbian stripper who loves her job, but occasionally wrestles with setting boundaries—and other themes. Written and directed by actor/stunt woman/yoga instructor Amanda Brooke Avery, Leaving Charlie wants to address the negative stigma attached to sex workers, in an era when women—still—retain little choice and control over their bodies.

While there are a lot of movies made about strippers, there are not many made by strippers themselves (let alone any at all made by queer female strippers or sex workers).

And writer-director Avery is intent on following through with authentic and diverse representation: “Our cast is about 40 percent People of Color,” she says, “and our crew is 100 percent female and gender non-conforming. Both are peppered with queers.”

Which is good news for lesbian cinephiles wanting their next installment of authentic, diverse, onscreen storytelling. “We all believe so strongly that it is important for this project to get made,” says Avery.