Lena Dunham writes op-ed about rape passage in 'Not That Kind of Girl'

NEW YORK, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Lena Dunham has written an op-ed explaining her reason to detail the time she was sexually abused in college in her memoir Not That Kind of Girl.

In her book, Dunham recounts the time she was raped by a republican man named Barry while attending college at Oberlin. In an essay, titled "Lena Dunham: Why I Chose to Speak Out,", she explains that writing the piece was not about shaming her attacker, but about "exposing [her] shame."

"I did not wish to be contacted by him or to open a criminal investigation. I am in a loving and peaceful place in my life, and I am not willing to sacrifice any more of it for this person I do not know, aside from one night I will never forget. That is my choice," she wrote.

Dunham's opinion piece came a day after her attorney told The Hollywood Reporter that a man, who claims the actress' description of Barry fits him, stepped forward to deny he raped her. A passage stating that Barry is pseudonym will reportedly be added to new copies of Not That Kind of Girl.

"I have had my character and credibility questioned at every turn. I have been attacked online with violent and misogynistic language," the actress wrote in her op-ed, which was published Tuesday on Buzzfeed.

"Reporters have attempted to uncover the identity of my attacker despite my sincerest attempts to protect this information. My work has been torn apart in an attempt to prove I am a liar, or worse, a deviant myself. My friends and family have been contacted. Articles have heralded 'Lena Dunham's shocking confession.' I have been made to feel, on multiple occasions, as though I am to blame for what happened."

"Survivors have the right to tell their stories, to take back control after the ultimate loss of control. There is no right way to survive rape and there is no right way to be a victim," she wrote. "You can help by never defining a survivor by what has been taken from her. You can help by saying I believe you.