Considering Lena Dunham has previously been extremely outspoken when it comes to believing victims coming forward with their stories of being sexually harassed or assaulted, people are not happy with the way she’s handling sexual assault allegations against a Girls writer.
Along with her Girls co-creater Jenni Konner, Dunham is defending the show’s writer Murray Miller against accusations of sexual assault made by 23-year-old actress Aurora Perrineau. Perrineau filed a police report this week, Hello Giggles says, alleging that Miller assaulted her when she was 17 years old. She says she was at the Standard Hotel at the time with some friends, and had admittedly consumed several alcoholic drinks. Miller allegedly invited Perrineau and her friends to his house, where she later woke up naked in his bed to find he was “having sexual intercourse with [her]” against her consent.
Miller’s legal team has denied all accusations, and Dunham and Konner have released a statement, surprising many by defending Miller.
“During the windfall of deeply necessary accusations over the last few months in Hollywood, we have been thrilled to see so many women’s voices heard and dark experiences in this industry justified,” their statement says, per Entertainment Weekly. “It’s a hugely important time of change and, like every feminist in Hollywood and beyond, we celebrate. But during every time of change there are also incidences of the culture, in its enthusiasm and zeal, taking down the wrong targets.”
I believe in a lot of things but the first tenet of my politics is to hold up the people who have held me up, who have filled my world with love.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) November 17, 2017
They continue, “We believe, having worked closely with him for more than half a decade, that this is the case with Murray Miller. While our first instinct is to listen to every woman’s story, our insider knowledge of Murray’s situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the 3 percent of assault cases that are misreported every year. It is a true shame to add to that number, as outside of Hollywood women still struggle to be believed. We stand by Murray and this is all we’ll be saying about this issue.”
Many have already been quick to point out Dunham’s previous statements in support of believing victims, saying that her stance on Miller is hypocritical:
Things women do lie about: what they ate for lunch. Things women don’t lie about: rape.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) August 4, 2017
Life comes at you fast @lenadunham. pic.twitter.com/WSq9NOROvJ
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) November 18, 2017
lena dunham: women coming forward about sexual assault are so important this is so necessary but only if it’s about a known scumbag and not someone i know personally, please
— jor (@menopausekink) November 18, 2017
As Dunham and Konner even state themselves, false reporting when it comes to rape and sexual assault is extremely rare, and only makes up around two to eight percent of cases. Considering how terrifying it can be for women to come forward and speak up, listening to and validating victims until the facts possibly prove otherwise is the responsible thing to do — no matter how well you think you know the person being accused.