Lena Dunham

In Dunham’s book Not That Kind of Girl, she writes she was raped when she was a college student at Oberlin, but did not realize it was rape until she told about her encounter to her roommate.

Audrey’s pale little face goes blank. She clutches my hand and, in a voice reserved for moms in Lifetime movies, whispers, “You were raped.” I burst out laughing.”

After having sex with a guy while high on Xanax and Cocaine and inebriated, Dunham recounts how she saw his condom hanging on a plant near the bed. She kicks him out, but in the essay it is clear that the man had taken advantage of her intoxicated state.

I don’t know how we got here, but I refuse to believe it’s an accident . . .

Dunham also tells the story to reporter Terri Gross, explaining why she included the story in her book.

In a reverse decision, Dunham decides to compensate performers who were originally signed on to perform opening acts for her book tour without pay.

As an artist raised by artists, no one believes more than I do that creators should be fairly compensated for their work​.

Dunham’s decision comes after controversy emerged when Gawker listed Dunham’s projected revenue for her book, and disclosed that the performers would not be compensated for their work.

Some good points were raised and I've ensured that all opening acts will be compensated for their time, their labor and their talents.

— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 29, 2014

Dunham publishes videos to promote her book Not That Kind of Girl on her Youtube channel “Ask Lena.” Dunham fields questions from her fans against a backdrop of a cartoonish representation of a New York City office. In the first installment, she answers a question from a fan about whether she can still be called a feminist even though she dresses provocatively when she goes out.

Dunham says she learned that her alleged rapist, who she refers to as Barry, hurt at least two other women:

The next semester [following her alleged rape], after Barry is gone, my friend Melody tells me that once her friend Julia woke up the morning after sex with Barry, and the wall was spattered with blood. Spattered, she said, ‘like a crime scene.’ But he was nice, and he took her for the morning after pill and named the baby they weren’t having.

She adds another anecdote about the person:

There was a story about him punching a girl in the boobs at a party.