Lena Dunham has issued an apology after she jumped to the defence of ‘Girls’ writer Murray Miller, who was accused of rape.
Dunham received online backlash for the statement she gave to Variety, which saw herself and ‘Girls’ co-runner Jenni Konner defend Miller and state that they would stand by him.
Now, Dunham has taken to Twitter to say that the pair “regret” the decision to release the first statement.
“As feminists, we live and die by our politics, and believing women is the first choice we make every single day when we wake up,” the Tweet reads.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) November 19, 2017
“Therefore I never thought I would issue a statement publicly supporting someone accused of sexual assault, but I naively believed it was important to share my perspective on my friend’s situation as it transpired behind the scenes over the last few months.
“I now understand that it was absolutely the wrong time to come forward with such a statement and I am so sorry. We have been given the gift of powerful voices and by speaking out we were putting our thumb on the scale and it was wrong. We regret this decision with every fiber of our being.”
She continues: “Every woman who comes forward deserves to be heard, fully and completely, and our relationship to the accused should not be part of the calculation anyone makes when examining her case.
“Every person and feminist should be required to hear her. Under patriarchy, ‘I believe you’ is essential. Until we are all believed, none of us are believed. We apologize to any women who have been disappointed.”
Back in August, Dunham tweeted: “Things women do lie about: what they ate for lunch. Things women don’t lie about: rape.”
Things women do lie about: what they ate for lunch. Things women don't lie about: rape.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) August 4, 2017
Aurora Perrineau – a 23-year-old actress who appeared in the film ‘Passengers’ – confirmed to The Wrap that she filed a police report against Miller, accusing him of raping her in 2012, when she was 17. Miller denies the accusations.
In her police statement, the actress claims she met Miller at the Standard Hotel when she was 17, and ended up back at his house after he asked her friends for a ride home, as he was drunk.
“At some point, I woke up in Murray’s bed naked,” Perrineau says in the statement.
“He was on top of me having sexual intercourse with me. At no time did I consent to any sexual contact with Murray.”
Miller’s attorney released a statement denying the claims.