“Girls” creator Lena Dunham opened up about surviving sexual assault and the importance of feminism in an emotional speech as she accepted an award for her work with Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (GEMS) at Variety’s Power of Women New York luncheon on April 24.
“When I was raped I felt powerless. I felt my value had been determined by someone else. Someone who sent me the message that my body was not my own, and my choices were meaningless,” Dunham admitted. “It took years to recognize my personal worth was not tied to my assault; the voices telling me I deserved this were phantoms, they were liars. So as a feminist, as a sexual assault survivor, my ultimate goal is to use my experience, my platform, and yes, my privilege, to reverse stigma and give voice to other survivors.”
Dunham was one of five honorees at Power of Women New York, alongside Glenn Close, Whoopi Goldberg, Rachel Weisz and Kim Kardashian West.
