Scottish Greens MSP apologises for 'rape is a spectrum' comments after furious backlash
Q Manivannan made the controversial comments in a podcast, also claiming there were "different modes of consent"
A Scottish Greens MSP has apologised for suggesting "rape" is on a spectrum in controversial comments which sparked furious backlash, but insisted the quotes were selectively edited.
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In an apology, Q Manivannan said they were "horrified" about the way the comments were "selectively edited to mislead people and misrepresent me".
In a new statement, Manivannan insisted they categorically stated that rape in every context is “equally serious and harmful” and accused political opponents of “maliciously” editing.
Manivannan added: “I would never seek to diminish or dismiss any survivor’s experience, or to make anyone feel that their pain was not heard or understood.
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“I am genuinely sorry to everyone who has been distressed, hurt or triggered by the clips, and by the discussion and coverage that has followed. Words matter, particularly when speaking about something as deeply personal and painful as sexual violence, and I regret this hurt caused.
“I would welcome the opportunity to meet with survivor and advocacy groups to listen to their perspectives and have an honest, constructive conversation about how we can work together to make Scotland safer and more compassionate for everyone.”
Manivannan said that rape is a “spectrum” but has apologised for offence caused to survivors of sexual abuse.
Making the controversial comments, Manivannan, who is a survivor of sexual abuse, said: “I think our distaste towards rape is towards rape. It’s towards the idea and the act of rape, not towards the myth of this monster rapist as we’re born to thinking of it that way.
“Because there definitely is a demonisation of rape, in the sense of it is a spectrum.
“As much as I don’t seek to lighten [rape], it is a spectrum: none of which is less or more worse, but it is a spectrum of things that constitute that one homogenised word: rape.”
The Scottish Greens have backed Manivannan despite growing pressure to suspend the Edinburgh and Lothians East MSP for comments they made on a podcast prior to being elected to Holyrood.
But charities supporting victims of sexual abuse said the statements were unacceptable and urged the MSP to consider the language used when discussing rape.
The Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance (SRCA), made up of support centres in Ayrshire, Glasgow, the Western Isles and Lanarkshire, said the comments could be “harmful” to survivors of sexual assault.
The comments were also condemned by Reem Alsalem, the United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women.
Opposition politicians had demanded an apology and that the Scottish Greens remove the party whip.
Rape Crisis Scotland said "rape is not demonised enough" and the UN's special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, has said rape should "never be spoken of in those terms."
However, a spokesman for the party has told LBC the whip will not be withdrawn and claimed Q's comments were "misrepresented" and the party "unequivocally condemns rape, harassment and sexual violence."
The MSP made the controversial comments in an interview with The Subjective Space podcast in an episode entitled On Care, Grief & Words uploaded last year.
During a discussion about rehabilitating offenders, the Edinburgh & Lothians East MSP said people often thought of a rapist as a “monster” or a “big burly man” but that “any individual is capable of rape" before saying there “definitely is a demonisation of rape.”
Manivannan added: “It is a spectrum, none of which is any less, or more, worse, but it is a spectrum of things that constitute that one homogenised word, rape. And I think it’s also, there’s also different modes of, well, not just consent, but also ideas, but also contexts and conditions under which rape is, well, rape.”
In Scots law, rape occurs when "a person intentionally or recklessly penetrates another person's vagina, anus, or mouth with their penis, without the victim's consent, and without a reasonable belief that the victim is consenting."
Nicola Love of Rape Crisis Scotland said: “If anything rape is not demonised enough.
“These comments are deeply irresponsible and reinforce harmful rape myths that organisations like ours have fought hard against for decades.
“The trauma and seriousness of rape should never be minimised.”
Susan Smith, of the campaign group For Women Scotland, said: “We were very disturbed to hear the comments from Manivannan, which betrayed such utter ignorance of the trauma and violation of rape.
“This will be a test of the determination of the Greens to ‘queer’ all boundaries. Having decided that gender is fluid and that ‘women’ can have penises, will they now defend the notion that consent and sexual violence are fluid, mutable concepts and that women have to accept rapists’ self-assessment that they are great lads, and not to be demonised?”
Tracy Gilbert, the Scottish Labour MP for Edinburgh North & Leith, said: “I am alarmed by the views expressed by a Scottish Greens MSP where they say that rape is a ‘spectrum’.
"I am absolutely clear that there is no spectrum of rape and know that there is certainly no spectrum of suffering from the survivors of rape.”
And Scottish Conservatives’ deputy leader, Rachael Hamilton, said she was "appalled to hear this person minimise the ordeal of millions of women who have suffered at the hands of predatory men.
"In any other workplace, expressing views like this would probably end up in mandatory training. But Scottish Greens MSPs seem to relish diminishing women and girls. These views are not fit for the 21st Century and the Scottish Greens should clarify they do not support a ‘spectrum of rape’ theory.”
And Reform UK called on the Scottish Greens to remove the whip from Manivannan over the “abhorrent” comments.
Senga Beresford, an MSP for South Scotland, said: “How dare anyone trivialise the trauma of rape by describing sexual crime as a ‘spectrum’?
“Q Manivannan’s words send the completely wrong message to men in this country. Hearing such insensitive comments will be unbelievably painful for survivors of sexual assault and rape.”Manivannan, who moved to Scotland in 2021 to study for a PhD in international relations at the University of St Andrews, is originally from India, and previously sparked controversy when it was revealed the UK student visa which brought the academic to Scotland is due to expire at the end of the year.
During the campaign, Manivannan claimed a disadvantaged, “lower caste” background, implying that they were among the most marginalised groups in Indian society, and claimed at times to have been “hungry because I was starved”.
However, The Times newspaper later found that Manivannan was from an upper-middle-class family and had attended private schools in Chennai, one of India’s wealthiest cities, and owns a £250,000 property in India.