Lena Dunham sparks criticism after tweeting she wants her casket ‘driven through NYC Pride parade’

Lena Dunham has left social-media users scratching their heads as she appeared to brand herself as an LGBTQ+ icon and made a “request” for the New York City Pride parade.

The Girls creator is no stranger to criticism, with statements she has made throughout the years, notably when she likened speaking out against Bill Cosby’s sexual-misconduct allegations to the Holocaust.

And now the 36-year-old has once again drawn confusion online after she tweeted on Sunday: “When I go. I want my casket to be driven through the NYC pride parade with a plaque that reads, ‘She wasn’t for everyone, but she *was* for us.’ Who can arrange?”

The Catherine Called Birdy director’s tweet hasn’t sat well with many in the queer community, who accused her of “using allyship to glorify herself”.

One critic penned on Twitter: “Gonna start living my life with whatever amount of confidence Lena Dunham has that makes her think she’s an LGBTQ+ icon.”

“It’s called gay pride not straight shame,” another commented.

A third remarked: “Lena Dunham was truly the voice of a generation: white women in the 2010s using allyship to glorify themselves.”

“I was like, ‘Why is Lena Dunham trending? I will scream if they reboot Girls.’ Then it was this weird tweet where she forces herself on a minority group as a ghost… which feels like a C plot in a Girls reboot,” a fourth shared.

Dunham is a known LGBTQ+ ally and even received a 2014 Horizon award for her advocacy, where she said she was “disappointed” that she is not gay.

At the time, she said while accepting the honour: “I have always felt a strong and emotional connection to members of the LGBTQ community.

“It was actually a huge disappointment for me when I came of age and realised that I was sexually attracted to men.

“So, when my sister came out, I thought, ‘Thank God, now someone in this family can truly represent my beliefs and passions.’”

The Sharp Stick actress also produced 2016 documentary Suited, centred on a clothing company catering to transgender men, and has been vocally supportive of her non-binary sibling, memoirist Cyrus Grace Dunham.

Dunham isn’t one to shy away from controversy. In 2015, she faced backlash when she compared speaking out against Bill Cosby’s sexual-misconduct allegations to the Holocaust.

In the aftermath, she publicly apologised on social media and wrote: “I’m already aware comparing Bill Cosby to the Holocaust wasn’t my best analogy.”

Then in 2017, she apologised to actor Aurora Perrineau for questioning her allegations of sexual assault against Dunham’s Girls collaborator, writer Murray Miller.