Lena Dunham apologises for defending Girls producer following sexual assault claim

Lena Dunham has apologised to fans after she received backlash for defending former Girls executive producer Murray Miller after he was hit with a sexual assault claim.
Actress Aurora Perrineau filed a complaint with police in West Hollywood on Friday (17Nov17) against Miller, claiming he sexually assaulted her in 2012, when she was 17. Miller “vehemently” denied the claims and Lena and Girls producer Jenni Konner issued a statement standing by Miller, who also served as a writer, and calling the allegation “one of the 3% of assault cases that are misreported every year.”
Their statement received backlash on Twitter, with a number of users sharing a tweet Lena wrote in August, which read, “Things women do lie about: what they ate for lunch. Things women don’t lie about: rape.” Many users accused her of believing every alleged rape victim until one points the finger at a friend.
Lena has since posted an apology on behalf of her and Jenni, admitting their decision to issue a statement publicly supporting Miller was naive and one that they regret “with every fiber of our being”.
“I now understand that it was absolutely the wrong time to come forward with such a statement and I am so sorry,” she wrote. “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.
“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… Under patriarchy, ‘I believe you’ is essential. Until we are all believed, none of us will be believed. We apologize to any women who have been disappointed.”
Aurora, 23, is the daughter of The Matrix and Lost actor Harold Perrineau and his wife Brittany. She has had small roles in films such as Passengers, Equals, and Jem and the Holograms.