Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesAs it turns out, Lena Dunham is "that kind of girl"—the kind who fights back, that is.
In the actress' recently published memoir, Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned," Dunham recounted being raped by a Republican Oberlin student nearly a decade ago. One blog investigated the author's claims, and other outlets and online commenters questioned whether Dunham was being truthful. Recently, another Oberlin alum said he'd been mistaken for her attacker.
In a BuzzFeed essay published Tuesday, Dunham reiterated that she used a pseudonym for her rapist. She apologized to the Oberlin alum of the same name, and she asked for people to be more empathetic. "Speaking out was never about exposing the man who assaulted me," the actress wrote. "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."
After she was raped, Dunham did not report it to her college or to the police. "I was afraid. I was afraid that no one would believe me. I was afraid other potential partners would consider me damaged goods. I was afraid I was overreacting. I was afraid it was my fault. I was afraid he would be angry," the two-time Golden Globe winner wrote. "Eight years later, I know just how classic these fears are. They are the reason that the majority of college women who are assaulted will never report it."
Dunham was inspired to share her story with the support of friends, family and fans. "I hoped I might inspire others to share, and that forming these connections would assist us all in healing," she wrote.
Instead, she was met with skepticism.
"I was not naïve enough to believe the essay in my book would be met with pure empathy or wild applause...but I hoped beyond hope that the sensitive nature of the event would be honored, and that no one would attempt to reopen these wounds or deepen my trauma," the 28-year-old Girls star wrote.
Dunham explained that her "character and credibility" have been repeatedly questioned after she went public. "I have been attacked online with violent and misogynistic language. Reporters have attempted to uncover the identity of my attacker despite my sincerest attempts to protect this information. My work has been torn apart in an attempt to prove I am a liar, or worse, a deviant myself," the Happy Christmas star wrote. "My friends and family have been contacted...I been made to feel, on multiple occasions, as though I am to blame for what happened." However, the actress-writer argued, "I don't believe I am to blame. I don't believe any of us who have been raped and/or assaulted are to blame."
This isn't just about Dunham's experiences, however. "At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what is written about me individually. I accept the realities of being in the public eye," she wrote. "But I simply cannot allow my story to be used to cast doubt on other women who have been sexually assaulted."
Dunham will not be silenced as a result of what's transpired over the past few months. "Speaking out about the realities and complexities of sexual assault is how we begin to protect each other," she wrote.
In her concluding paragraph, the native New Yorker wrote, "Survivors have the right to tell their stories, to take back control after the ultimate loss of control. There is no right way to survive rape and there is no right way to be a victim. What survivors need more than anything is to be supported, whether they choose to pursue a criminal investigation or to rebuild their world on their own terms. You can help by never defining a survivor by what has been taken from her. You can help by saying I believe you."
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Dunham's publishers have agreed to tweak the pseudonym notice in future copies of the actress' memoir. Random House will also remunerate real-life Barry for the legal fees he's incurred since having his identity confused with the alleged rapist written about in Not That Kind of Girl.
Read Dunham's BuzzFeed essay in its entirety here.