Passage on sexual assault in Lena Dunham book to be clarified: Assailant’s name is pseudonym

NEW YORK, N.Y. – A section from Lena Dunham’s “Not That Kind of Girl” that recounts an alleged assault while she was in college is being changed to make clear that the assailant’s name is a pseudonym.

Random House announced Tuesday that both the digital edition and future print editions of Dunham’s bestselling memoir will include the clarification. The book already included a disclaimer saying that some names and details had been changed, but did not say precisely that “Barry” was not the real name of Denham’s alleged assailant.

The publisher’s announcement comes after an article last week from the conservative news site www.breitbart.com that challenged Dunham’s story that she was attacked by a campus Republican. Breitbart reported that Dunham had an Oberlin classmate named “Barry” but neither he nor anyone else fully matched the description Dunham gave in the book.

In a statement issued Tuesday night through Buzzfeed, Dunham apologized for any discomfort the use of the pseudonym may have caused a former classmate.

“‘Barry’ is a pseudonym, not the name of the man who assaulted me, and any resemblance to a person with this name is an unfortunate and surreal coincidence. I am sorry about all he has experienced,” Dunham wrote.

“Speaking out was never about exposing the man who assaulted me. Rather, it was about exposing my shame, letting it dry out in the sun. I did not wish to be contacted by him or to open a criminal investigation.”