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Lena Dunham & America Fererra's Speech Was Rousing

by Noor Al-Sibai

If you thought the first night of the Democratic National Convention was star-studded, then Tuesday's speakers will surely blow you out of the water. One of the more anticipated speeches is that of Lena Dunham, the creator and star of HBO's show Girls and America Ferrera of Ugly Betty and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. The two spoke on the DNC stage during the "Fights of Her Life: Women and Families" portion of the DNC's second night, and the transcript of Lena Dunham and America Ferrera's DNC speech shows that they are more than just successful actresses.

Both women endorsed Hillary Clinton long before she became the presumptive nominee: Ferrera wrote a fabulous op-ed in The Huffington Post called "Why Hillary Clinton Thrills The Hell Out Of Me," and Dunham has been stumping for Clinton since at least September of last year, when she interviewed Clinton in an effort to get more young women to vote.

This is not Ferrera's first time at the DNC: she attended the 2012 DNC in Charlotte, North Carolina in support of President Barack Obama. But this was her first time there to support Clinton — the first-ever female nominee of a major party — and she and Dunham did so in style.

Lena: Hi, I'm Lena Dunham and according to Donald Trump, my body is probably a two.

America: And I'm America Ferrera and according to Donald Trump, I'm probably a rapist.

Lena: You're not Mexican.

America: And President Obama isn't Kenyan, but that hasn't stopped Donald.

Lena: Now I know what you're all thinking: Why should I care what some television celebrity has to say about politics?

America: We feel the same way. But he is the Republican nominee, so we need to talk about him.

Lena: The un-funny fact is, this man would have you believe that our differences are more important than what unites us.

America: The truth is that this country was founded on the belief that what sets us apart — race, language, religion, sexual orientation — should not dissolve what binds us.

Lena: Which is why we're proud to say, "we're with Hillary!"

America: As a child of Honduran immigrants, I am profoundly grateful for the access and opportunity that exists in this extraordinary nation. I was educated in public schools; my talents were nurtured through public arts programs and occasionally I needed a free meal to get through the school day. Not everyone looks at the millions of young people like me — children born into struggling families, children born to immigrant parents, children who are immigrants themselves — and sees an investment. But Hillary has spent the last 30 years proving what she sees in us. Not our color, gender, or economic status, but our capacity to grow into thriving adults able to contribute great things to this country.

Lena: I'm a pro-choice, feminist, sexual assault survivor with a chronic reproductive illness. Donald and his party think I should be punished for exercising my constitutional rights, and his rhetoric about women takes us back to a time when we were meant to be beautiful and silent. Meanwhile, 22 years ago, Hillary declared that women's rights are human rights. And she made it possible for my fellow sexual assault survivors in my home state of New York to have access to safe, immediate care in any emergency room. Hillary knows that access and opportunity are the American promise — not transphobia, Islamophobia, xenophobia, and systemic racism. She knows that hatred of all kinds is ours collectively to change, not to ignite for the craven purpose of seeking power.

America: Donald's not making America great again, he's making America hate again. The vast majority of us cannot afford to see his vision of America come to be.

Lena: Luckily, we the voters carry the future of this country. We don't accept hatred as the norm in our communities — why would we accept it in the Oval Office?

America: So to everyone here tonight and out there watching at home, here's your chance to join Team Hillary.

Lena: Do you want equal pay for equal work? The right to make decisions about your body? Paid family leave? As our queen says, "deal us in."

America: Text DEAL to 47246 and we will make you a card-carrying member of this team. Let's forcefully reject division.

Lena: Let's say with one voice that we all have worth; we're all part of this country.

America: Let's put Hillary in the White House...

Lena: And declare...

Both: Love trumps hate!