Lena Dunham Stands By Kesha In Powerful Essay

"The American legal system continues to hurt women by failing to protect them..."
"Girls" creator Lena Dunham has shown her support for Kesha in an essay for Lenny Letter.
"Girls" creator Lena Dunham has shown her support for Kesha in an essay for Lenny Letter.
Jason Merritt via Getty Images

On Feb. 19, a judge denied Kesha's request to be released from her contract with Sony after she said producer Dr. Luke sexually, physically and emotionally abused her. Since then, celebrities have stood by the "Tik Tok" singer online, including Lena Dunham who has shown her support in a powerful essay.

As part of her feminist newsletter and site "Lenny Letter", the "Girls" creator wrote in a Lenny Letter released today that "Sony could make this go away." Instead, the company chose to minimize Kesha to her music and albums with no acknowledgement of the "worth of her soul," Dunham wrote. By controlling her work, Sony also has a say in Kesha's finances. Aside from physical or verbal abuse, many domestic violence survivors face having little or no access to their finances at the hands of their partners, as Dunham pointed out.

"When a woman is not in control of her financial destiny, either because her partner is the primary breadwinner or because he makes financial decisions for the entire family, her world is made minuscule," Dunham wrote. "Her resources evaporate. Fear dominates."

Lenny stands with Kesha. ❤️ #freekesha #LennyLetter

A video posted by Lenny (@lennyletter) on

Dunham also applauded the fans and performers who have stood by Kesha, especially other women. She noted that "it wasn't that long ago" that women felt like they couldn't speak up for one another, "for fear of losing all they had worked so hard to create."

Those days are over.

They are fucking done.

We are not scared anymore of losing what we worked for, of being branded hysterical or difficult, of being targeted and silenced by men in power. The women in the music industry speaking out for Kesha are proof.

While her essay focuses on Kesha, Dunham wrote that the pop star's case is about much more than her career as an artist. Then in a single sentence, Dunham summed up the real message the outcome of Kesha's case reveals.

"What's happening to Kesha highlights the way that the American legal system continues to hurt women by failing to protect them from the men they identify as their abusers."

Read Dunham's essay in full over on Lenny.

Also on HuffPost:

40 Powerful Images Of Surviving Sexual Assault

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot