Lena Dunham And 'Girls' Cast Dedicate Powerful PSA To Stanford Rape Survivor
“Girls” stars Lena Dunham, Jemima Kirke, Allison Williams and Zosia Mamet urge viewers to “support, listen and take action” to prevent the silencing and shaming of sexual abuse victims in their new “She Is Someone” PSA.
Tell it, Lena.
Right now, Jemima.
Let us hear it, Allison.
Yaaassssss, Zosia.
You go, girls.
The "Girls" PSA arrives on the heels of Stanford swimmer Brock Turner's shockingly brief six-month jail sentence for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster last year.
Initially, news outlets covering the trial, including the Washington Post, listed Turner's swim times and athletic accomplishments in what readers deemed an effort to remind audiences of the future Turner would tragically miss out on if handed a heavier sentence.
Turner's father issued a statement rife with tone-deaf ramblings regarding his son's decreased appetite for steak since being forced to pay the price for raping a helpless individual.
The victim penned a letter to Turner, which she read aloud in court and later allowed BuzzFeed to publish in full.
She wrote,
To sit under oath and inform all of us, that yes I wanted it, yes I permitted it, and that you are the true victim… is appalling, is demented, is selfish, is damaging. It is enough to be suffering. It is another thing to have someone ruthlessly working to diminish the gravity of validity of this suffering… This is not a story of another drunk college hookup with poor decision making. Assault is not an accident. Somehow, you still don't get it.
In Dunham's PSA, the cast asks,
Why is our default reaction, as a society, to disbelieve or to silence or to shame? What if we chose to turn towards those in need, instead of away? To listen. To support.
Williams reminds viewers they have “the power to create a safer, healthier environment for women to come forward.”
Amen.
Citations: Lena Dunham dedicates sexual assault PSA to 'brave survivor in the Stanford case' (Entertainment Weekly)
