Lena Dunham has taken a break from rage spiraling to craft a thoughtful statement regarding the controversy around some passages in her new book.
Late last week, the website Truth Revolt cited a story in “Not That Kind of Girl” in which Dunham said she looked into her sister’s vagina when she was seven years old.
The site laid into Dunham for this behavior, prompting an angry response from the creator of HBO’s Girls.
A lawyer for Dunham also sent Truth Revolt a cease-and-desist letter, though the site simply went on the offensive in response, citing another passage in the book (where Dunham jokes about acting like a "sexual predator" around her sister in exchange for kisses) as inappropriate.
Meanwhile, Dunham canceled a number of appearances in promotion of her memoir while she dealt with the fallout of this scandal.
Now, having a couple days to think about the controversy, Dunham has released a new statement to Time Magazine.
"First and foremost, I do not condone any kind of abuse under any circumstances," the actress/producer/writer says, adding:
"Childhood sexual abuse is a life-shattering event for so many, and I have been vocal about the rights of survivors. If the situations described in my book have been painful or triggering for people to read, I am sorry, as that was never my intention. I am also aware that the comic use of the term ‘sexual predator’ insensitive, and I’m sorry for that as well."
Dunham also notes that whatever she wrote in the book was read first by Grace and that her younger sister is "my best friend, and anything I have written about her has been published with her approval."
On Monday, via Twitter, Grace Dunham broke her silence and supported her sibling.