Lena Dunham Pens Essay In Support Of Kesha
Lena Dunham says she “felt sick” when a judge ruled Kesha couldn’t leave her recording contract last week.
Lena Dunham has penned a lengthy essay in support of Kesha, in which she slams Sony Music for allowing the legal battle to take place.
The ‘Girls’ actress was horrified to learn that a court has decreed the ‘Tik Tok‘ hitmaker must abide by her agreement with producer Dr. Luke, despite her claims he sexually abused her.
Commenting on the ruling, Lena said:
“When I saw the outcome of Kesha’s court case last Friday, I felt sick. Actually sick — I wanted to ask my Uber to pull over so I could throw up in a New York City trash can.”
Lena also hit out at Sony Music for opting to engage in a “protracted legal battle” with Kesha when they could have made the case “go away” by agreeing to let her record with someone other than Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald.
Lena continued in an essay for her Lenny newsletter, saying:
“Sony could make this go away. But instead the company has chosen to engage in a protracted legal battle to protect Gottwald’s stake in Kesha’s future.
“Although the company insists that Kesha and Gottwald never need to be in a room together and that he will allow her to record without his direct involvement, they are minimizing what Kesha says regarding how Gottwald’s continued involvement in her career would affect her physical well-being and psychological safety.
“So let me spell it out for them. Imagine someone really hurt you, physically and emotionally. Scared you and abused you, threatened your family.
“The judge says that you don’t have to see them again, BUT they still own your house. So they can decide when to turn the heat on and off, whether they’ll pay the telephone bill or fix the roof when it leaks.
“After everything you’ve been through, do you feel safe living in that house? Do you trust them to protect you?(sic)”
The 29-year-old actress is “heartened” by the “public outcry” over the case, including other female stars such as Lady Gaga, Demi Lovato and Lily Allen speaking out in support, and hope the fallout inspired other women never to accept “shame and fear”.
She concluded the essay with:
“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.
“And their words will reverberate, inspiring the young women watching them for clues about the good life to speak up too. Soon, no one will accept shame and fear as the status quo. And so, while Kesha is indefinitely silenced, her voice has never been louder.”
Read the full essay on Lenny here.