On Friday morning, Lena Dunham addressed the results of the election for the first time in an essay for Lenny Letter. Dunham has been a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton, and in the essay she describes celebrating election night at the Javits Center, as well as the reality of a Trump presidency. The essay, titled “Don’t Agonize, Organize,” began with Dunham confessing her disbelief at the results: “… as horrifying as I found Donald Trump’s rhetoric, as hideous as I found his racism and xenophobia, as threatening to basic decency as I found his demagogue persona, I never truly believed he could win.” She went on to discuss the ramifications of these election results, writing, “It is painful on a cellular level knowing those men got what they wanted, just as it’s painful to know you are hated for daring to ask for what is yours. It’s painful to know that white women, so unable to see the unity of female identity, so unable to look past their violent privilege, and so inoculated with hate for themselves, showed up to the polls for him, too.” But rather than ending on a despondent note, Dunham offered a call to action instead. “Wednesday was a day of mourning. Thursday, too. Hell, I’m giving us till Sunday. But then we fight.” Read the full essay here.
