backlash

Writer Leaves Lenny Letter Citing Lena Dunham’s ‘Well-Known Racism’

Photo: Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

After Girls writer and executive producer Murray Miller was accused of sexual assault by actress Aurora Perrineau, Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner issued a statement in support of their long-time co-worker, describing Perrineau’s accusation as “one of the 3 percent of assault cases that are misreported every year.” This prompted such outrage that Dunham and Konner issued a second statement apologizing for the first, and saying, “We regret this decision with every fiber of our being.”

Now, a writer for Dunham’s Lenny Letter is publicly walking away from the online publication, citing what she calls the writer-actress-producer-activist’s “well-known racism.” Author Zinzi Clemmons says that she has known Dunham since their college years, and that the two share overlapping social circles. During that time, Clemmons says she “avoided those people like the plague because of their racism,” adding, “I’d call their strain ‘hipster-racism,’ which typically uses sarcasm as a cover.” She cites her relationship with her editors as the reason she has stayed at Lenny until now, but says that Dunham’s reaction to the accusations made by Perrineau pushed her to leave the newsletter. “As a result of Lena Dunham’s statements, I have decided that I will no longer write for Lenny Letter. For all you writers who are outraged about what she did, I encourage you to do the same. Especially women of color.” You can read Clemmons’s full statement below via Twitter.

Writer Leaves Lenny Letter Citing Dunham’s ‘Known Racism’