Even a Strip Club Can Lead to Salvation

Scarlet Hope Founder Rachelle Starr Reveals Why the Word Father Terrifies Women in the Adult Industry

Rachelle Starr, founder of the ministry Scarlet Hope, has opened up about why the word "father" carries deep pain for women trapped in the adult entertainment industry. Speaking in connection with the new documentary "He Calls Me Daughter," Starr shared insights from nearly two decades of ministry inside strip clubs across America.

Since founding Scarlet Hope in 2007 in Louisville, Kentucky, Starr and her team have visited strip clubs every week, serving approximately 2 million meals and walking alongside thousands of women. The ministry's mission is to share the hope and love of Jesus Christ with women in the sex industry, many of whom carry devastating wounds from absent, abusive, or neglectful fathers.

"There is only one perfect Father, and that's God."

The documentary "He Calls Me Daughter," directed by filmmaker Rick Altizer, debuted in theaters nationwide on March 17 and 18, 2026, through Fathom Entertainment. The film explores how broken relationships with earthly fathers distort the way women perceive God as their heavenly Father. It features testimonies from women who overcame deep wounds and found healing through faith.

Altizer, who previously directed "Show Me the Father" in 2021, felt compelled to create this companion film addressing women's perspectives on fatherhood and identity. The documentary features notable voices including filmmaker Alex Kendrick, comedian Chonda Pierce, author Meg Meeker, and In N Out Burger CEO Lynsi Snyder.

How Scarlet Hope's Strip Club Ministry Is Healing Father Wounds Through Faith and the Film He Calls Me Daughter

Starr has said that one of her favorite parts of the ministry is helping women find their calling and purpose. Her own father drilled the message "Love God, love people" into her heart and head, a foundation that led her to bring that love directly into the darkest corners of the adult entertainment world.

The film also highlights organizations combating human trafficking and addiction, including Slave 2 Nothing, drawing connections between fatherhood trauma and vulnerability to exploitation. Funding for the documentary came entirely from donors without solicitation.

The Crusader's Opinion

The destruction of fatherhood is the great silent crisis of our age. Every broken home, every absent dad, every little girl who grows up wondering why daddy left creates a vacuum that the enemy is more than happy to fill. The adult entertainment industry does not just exploit women. It preys on the fatherless. It feeds on the very wound that God designed fathers to protect against. Rachelle Starr and Scarlet Hope are doing what the rest of the Church should have been doing decades ago: walking straight into the darkness with the light of Christ, no excuses, no judgment, just the Gospel. If more Christians spent less time pointing fingers and more time serving meals in strip clubs, the world would look radically different.

Take Action

• Support Scarlet Hope by donating, volunteering, or praying for their ministry to women in the adult entertainment industry across America.
• Watch "He Calls Me Daughter" and share it with your church community. Visit Fathom Events for screening information and upcoming encore dates.
• Donate to The Shepherd's Shield (www.TheShepherdsShield.org) to support Christian ministries reaching the most vulnerable and persecuted.
• Start a conversation in your church about father wounds and how your congregation can minister to single mothers, fatherless children, and women exploited by the sex industry.
• Support Open Doors USA and Voice of the Martyrs to stand with persecuted Christians worldwide who face family separation and displacement.