A Scottish Greens politician has sparked outrage after saying that rape exists ‘on a spectrum’ and rapists shouldn’t be ‘demonised’.
MSP Q Manivannan, who additionally described the thought of ‘monster rapists’ as a ‘fable’, made the feedback throughout a podcast recording with Dr Sindhu Rajasekaran for The Subjective House in February 2025.
Manivannan, who’s trans non-binary and presently in Scotland on a scholar visa, was elected as an MSP for the Edinburgh and Lothian East area on this yr’s native elections.
They’re presently within the technique of making use of for a graduate visa and ‘international expertise visa’ – one in all which they need to safe if they’re to serve a full-term in Holyrood.
The worldwide expertise visa would allow Manivannan to reside and work within the UK for the whole five-year parliamentary time period and past.
A scholar visa features a sequence of restrictions comparable to solely having the ability to work part-time throughout time period time for a most of 20 hours every week, and never having the ability to fill a everlasting emptiness.
Requested by Dr Rajasekaran about compassion in forgiving acts of violence comparable to rape, Manivannan stated: ‘This query additionally results in an creativeness of what a simply society could be. It’s parallel to questions of abolitionism, of what it means to consider rehabilitating rapists, as an example, into society.
‘I feel our distaste in the direction of rape is towards the thought of and the act of it, not in the direction of the parable of this monster rapist that we have now been born to be considering of it that method.
‘As a result of there undoubtedly is a demonisation of rape within the sense of it [rape] is a spectrum.
Q Manivannan was elected as an MSP for the Edinburgh and Lothian East area for the Scottish Greens in Could, however has sparked outrage with their feedback on rape
Manivannan, who additionally described the thought of ‘monster rapists’ as a ‘fable’, made the feedback throughout a podcast recording with Dr Sindhu Rajasekaran for The Subjective House, with clips now circulating on-line
‘I do not search to lighten any sort of […] It’s a spectrum, none of which is any worse, or much less or extra worse, however it’s a spectrum of issues that represent one homogenised phrase rape.
‘And I feel there’s additionally completely different modes of not simply consent but additionally context and situations beneath which rape is, properly, rape.’
They continued: ‘And I feel in that circumstance, the concept that the rapist is the massive burly man just isn’t essentially unfounded, as a result of that is the person I am most afraid of every day, but it surely’s additionally an entity that’s misconstrued as a result of I feel any particular person is able to rape.’
Clips of the change shared on social media have sparked outrage, with one viewer describing Manivannan as a ‘menace to victims’.
They stated: ‘Manivannan has a really warped view and would not need males who rape demonised and would really like us to imagine that rape is a spectrum.’
They continued: ‘He’s a shame and is a menace to victims and potential victims with this mind-set.’
A second viewer stated: ‘This isn’t a nuanced tutorial debate. It’s a sitting MSP minimising one of the crucial severe crimes there’s.
‘In case your ethical framework can’t deliver itself to say clearly that rape isn’t acceptable and rapists deserve condemnation, then it’s not progressive it’s harmful.’
Scottish Labour MP Tracy Gilbert stated she was ‘alarmed’ by the feedback, including: ‘I’m completely clear that there isn’t any spectrum of rape and know that there’s actually no spectrum of affected by the survivors of rape.
‘Research have proven that 9 in 10 survivors of rape knew their attacker whereas half of survivors have stated that their attacker was a present or former associate.
‘A survivor of rape by no means absolutely recovers. There will be severe bodily and psychological accidents from the assault, survivors usually really feel disgrace and really feel remoted for an extended time period afterwards.
‘The implications of rape are sometimes felt for years and a long time after the assault. I’m grateful to the various fantastic organisations and people who assist victims of rape and sexual assault.
‘The Scottish Greens MSP ought to absolutely retract and apologise for his or her feedback and Gillian MacKay and Ross Greer ought to clarify that the views shared should not Scottish Inexperienced Celebration coverage.’
Responding to the criticism, Manivannan stated the clip had been taken out of context and ‘misrepresented’.
They stated: ‘This clip has been clearly misrepresented and brought out of context from a for much longer interview. As a survivor of sexual violence, who has spoken brazenly about my restoration, I’m clear that we have to give attention to decreasing the chance of perpetrators of rape reoffending.
‘The purpose I made about demonisation was that not all rapists match a stereotype, and that each one sorts of males can and do commit it.
‘The overwhelming majority of sexual violence is from males who the victims know personally. Victims must be believed no matter who the perpetrator was, and rapists must be punished within the strongest phrases.
‘If we’re to sort out rape and sexual violence we have to sort out wider points in society, together with the methods boys and males are socialised, the communities or lack thereof they’re in, and the way they’re raised.
‘When speaking a few spectrum I used to be making the purpose that legal guidelines usually take a slender definition of what rape and sexual violence is, which regularly permits it to proceed with out consequence. A full viewing of the interview clarifies this.
‘In a rustic the place rape has the bottom conviction charges of any crime, and reoffending continues, that is an pressing and essential dialog we have to have in Scotland.
‘Any suggestion that my statements minimise or excuse rape or sexual assault are deeply false and deceptive.’
When contacted by the Day by day Mail, the Scottish Greens declined to remark.
When elected in Could, Manivannan, who was born in India, informed cheering supporters: ‘My identify is Q Manivannan, I’m a transgender Tamil immigrant, my pronouns are they/them.
‘I’m to some on this nation all the pieces that the hateful despise, and I’m standing right here as your MSP now with care.
‘They are saying politics is the artwork of the doable. A politics of care expands what is feasible for everybody left behind, pushed out or by no means invited in.’
Manivannan was elected after MSPs agreed a change in legislation that prolonged candidacy rights to overseas nationals with restricted go away to stay, together with these on scholar visas.
Manivannan’s visa is because of expire on the finish of this yr and the Scotland Act states that an MSP would then be disqualified from holding workplace at Holyrood.
They’ve stated they’re taking steps to safe a brand new visa which might allow them to serve the remainder of the time period.
