The 28-year-old actress reveals in an op-ed written for Buzzfeed that she used a pseudonym for the man who assaulted her in her book 'Not That Kind of Girl'.
- Dec 11, 2014
AceShowbiz - Lena Dunham has written an op-ed in which she explains her reason to write about a sexual assault she encountered when she and a man called "Barry" were attending the Oberlin College. The op-ed came after an Oberlin student, who fits Lena's description in her book "Not That Kind of Girl", came forward to deny he raped Lena.
In the op-ed titled "Lena Dunham: Why I Chose to Speak Out" posted on Buzzfeed on Wednesday, December 10, the "Girls" star wrote, "To be very clear, 'Barry' is a pseudonym, not the name of the man who assaulted me. Any resemblance to a person with this name is an unfortunate and surreal coincidence. I am sorry about all he has experienced."
She added, "Speaking out was never about exposing the man who assaulted me. Rather, it was about exposing my shame, letting it dry out in the sun. I did not wish to be contacted by him or to open a criminal investigation. I am in a loving and peaceful place in my life and I am not willing to sacrifice any more of it for this person I do not know, aside from one night I will never forget. That is my choice."
The real-life Barry has issued a statement through his lawyer Aaron Minc to respond to Lena's clarification, "I want to thank Lena Dunham for confirming that the 'Barry' described in her book is a pseudonym. As the sole source of the events in that book, her confirmation was crucial. I am relieved to have my name cleared as best as it can at this point."
Barry called the experience of being suspected in the last nine weeks "frightening" and "baffling." He slammed Lena, "It's frustrating and ironic to me that Ms. Dunham's recent admission that it was all an 'unfortunate and surreal coincidence' echoes my earlier comment to a reporter printed over six weeks ago."
"Why didn't you clear my name? Why did you wait? Why did I have to set up a legal fund and threaten to sue in order for action to be taken?" he asked. "Surely, had my concerns not been ignored when I quietly and privately brought them to your representatives in October, your story would have remained focused on its true intentions, which I believe are very noble.Unfortunately, because of the delay, my reputation has sustained irreparable harm."
Random House, the publisher for Lena's book, told reporters on Monday that they would change the digital version and future printings of the book to specify that "Barry" is a pseudonym. The publisher also offered to pay Barry's legal fees.
