Man Accused of Raping Lena Dunham in College Releases Statement, Wants Answers For His 'Irreparable Harm'

The man accused of raping Lena Dunham during her college years has released a statement after being bombarded by media since the release of her book “Not That Kind of Girl” went into detail about the sexual assault encounter.

The man in the book, called “Barry” in book, is described as a Republican at Oberlin College who hosted a radio show, had a mustache and wore cowboy boots. Lena penned an essay just yesterday about the whole confusion and as to why she wrote about the rape in her book.

“I want to thank Lena Dunham for confirming that the ‘Barry’ described in her book is a pseudonym. As the sole source of the events in that book, her confirmation was crucial. I am relieved to have my name cleared as best as it can at this point,” the man said (via THR).

“The last nine weeks, spent both wrongfully accused and ignored, were frightening for me and my family. It was also baffling. As days turned to weeks, and weeks into months, Random House and Ms. Dunham‘s silence became unfathomable. It’s frustrating and ironic to me that Ms. Dunham‘s recent admission that it was all an “unfortunate and surreal coincidence” echoes my earlier comment to a reporter printed over six weeks ago,” he continues.

Click inside to read the rest of his lengthy statement…

“It also begs the questions, why didn’t you clear my name? Why did you wait? Why did I have to set up a legal fund and threaten to sue in order for action to be taken?

“Surely, had my concerns not been ignored when I quietly and privately brought them to your representatives in October, your story would have remained focused on its true intentions, which I believe are very noble. Unfortunately, because of the delay, my reputation has sustained irreparable harm.

“I hope this case serves as a reminder to writers, publishers, and others with a stake in narrative that they must take special care when releasing non-fiction works featuring criminal acts. Copyright page disclaimers simply aren’t enough. Fact checking must be rigorous, unintended consequences of altered details must be researched, and the use of pseudonyms must be consistent and clear. Importantly, this goes beyond a simple coincidence of a relatively rare name, as has been suggested. I was an outspoken Republican at Oberlin College; I already stuck out like a sore thumb. When such obvious parallels are missed, corrective and restorative action should be taken immediately.

“I want to be very clear: I have absolutely no reason to doubt Ms. Dunham’s claim that she was sexually assaulted in college. I hope, too, that her story brings courage and strength to other survivors of sexual assaults. I also hope that my story will serve as an example to those who are falsely accused or incorrectly placed under suspicion of serious sexual misconduct allegations that the truth will eventually come out.”