Lena Dunham, star and writer of HBO’s ‘Girls’, spoke about her sister while accepting the Point Foundation‘s Horizon Award for her LGBT advocacy work.

 
 
Dunham accepted the honour at the Point Foundation annual gala in New York, which was attended by 400 guests.

The 27 year-old, who is a fervent supporter of LGBT rights, quipped, “It was actually a huge disappointment for me, when I came of age and realised that I was sexually attracted to men. When my sister came out, I thought, ‘Thank God, someone in this family can truly represent my passions and beliefs.'”

When her sister, Grace, came out as a lesbian at aged 17, Dunham admitted that it was “a huge turning point” in her understanding of LGBT rights. She said, “We were raised in an environment—the art world of downtown Manhattan—where no one hid their sexual orientation, and a common question from 4-year-old me was ‘Mom, are those ladies gay together?’”

Talking about Grace’s coming out, she said, “My sister’s process of coming to terms with her sexuality was as angst-free as anything involving sex can really be. She was assured by the adults in her life that she was not only accepted, but adored for who she is.”

Dunham added that one of her biggest aims when writing her hit show is to “show you non-stereotypical examples of the range of people who inhabit this amazing city, and we are learning more about what that means every day.”