INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Lena Dunham And ‘Girls’ Cast Dedicate PSA To Stanford Rape Victim, Victim Explains Why She Chooses Anonymity

By Jessica Dafoe
Published on: 12:18 PST, Jun 8, 2016

Lena Dunham and the cast of the hit show on which she stars, Girls, made their voices heard in a Public Service Announcement standing up against sexual assault.

On Wednesday morning, Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, and Zosia Mamet released a PSA that calls for action against sexual assault following the result of the trial held for the Stanford University athlete who was convicted of the 2015 rape of an unconscious woman.

Dunham shared the announcement via her Twitter account and captioned it in support of “the brave survivor in the Stanford case who has given so much to change the conversation.”

Dunham’s castmate Kirke then spoke up, noting the bond that the girls share over the topic, as Variety relays.

“We may star on Girls together, but that doesn’t mean we always agree,” Kirke said. “But there is one issue on which we are in total agreement.”

Williams then took the floor and added her part about statistics associated with the issue of assault.

“[O]ne in five women will be sexually assaulted during her lifetime. [W]hy is our default reaction, as a society, to disbelieve? Don’t avoid the hard conversation. You already have the power to create a safer, healthier environment for women to come forward.”

Brock Turner, the convicted in the Stanford case, was sentenced mildly to a mere six months in prison and probation. The prosecutor on the case sought a six-year prison term for the young athlete. However, Judge Aaron Persky believed that if the sentence was any longer than the six-month term he gave, it would have a “severe impact on him.”

This reasoning and light sentence for such a hideous act has sparked outrage, and following the sentencing, the letter that was read to the convicted by the victim in the case has since gone viral. The publication shares a few of the young woman’s words about the impact Turner’s actions have had on her.

“This is not a story of another drunk college hook-­up with poor decision-making. I was pummeled with narrowed, pointed questions that dissected my personal life, love life, past life, family life — inane questions, accumulating trivial details to try and find an excuse for this guy who had me half naked before even bothering to ask for my name. He has done irreversible damage to me and my family during the trial and we have sat silently, listening to him shape the evening. But in the end, his unsupported statements and his attorney’s twisted logic fooled no one. The truth won, the truth spoke for itself.”

Although the 23-year-old victim’s letter has gone viral, her identity is still a mystery and she is choosing to keep it as such for a number of reasons. The Daily Mail shares the Stanford student’s purpose for remaining anonymous.

“While the 23-year-old admits that the move is partly to protect her identity, she also says it is ‘a statement’ to have thousands of people ‘fighting for someone they don’t even know.’ [She shares that while ] ‘there is plenty more I’d like to tell you about me’, for the time being she wants to remain ‘every woman. That’s the beauty of it. I don’t need labels, categories, to prove I am worthy of respect, to prove that I should be listened to. I am coming out to you as simply a woman wanting to be heard.'”

And heard she has been. Her letter has been making the rounds on every social media platform where millions are weighing in and praising the young woman for her bravery in sharing the impact and reality of such a nightmarish situation.

[Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images]

Share this article: Lena Dunham And ‘Girls’ Cast Dedicate PSA To Stanford Rape Victim, Victim Explains Why She Chooses Anonymity
lena dunham Brock Turner
More from Inquisitr