Scottish Green Party MSP Q Manivannan has apologised for suggesting there is a "demonisation of rape" and a "spectrum" of rape. The apology comes after an open letter from the Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance (SRCA) criticised the remarks, which were made on a podcast filmed last year before Manivannan was elected to Holyrood.
Apology and Clarification
Manivannan, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, said: "I am horrified that my comments were selectively edited in order to mislead people and misrepresent me, but I also accept that my language was abstract in the first place and for that I take full responsibility and am sorry."
They added: "During the interview, I categorically stated that rape in every context is equally serious and harmful. This section of the interview was maliciously left out of clips — with the rest being misrepresented and widely shared out of context, despite my repeated clarifications."
Manivannan also said: "I recognise that the words in the clip shared, without the full context of the conversation, have caused considerable upset. For that I apologise. I will always stand with, and for, victims and survivors."
Original Remarks
In the podcast, The Subjective Space, Manivannan discussed rape in the context of a debate about rehabilitation. They said: "I think our distaste towards rape is towards rape. It’s towards the idea of and the act of rape, not towards the myth of this monster rapist as we’re born to thinking of it that way."
They continued: "Because there’s definitely a demonisation of rape in the sense of, it is a spectrum… it is a spectrum of things that constitute that one homogenised word, rape." Manivannan also mentioned "different modes" of consent and rape, and said the idea of a rapist being a "big, burly man" was "not necessarily unfounded" but "misconstrued" because "any individual is capable" of rape.
Reaction from Rape Crisis Alliance
The SRCA said it "fundamentally rejects the suggestion that society is demonising rape". A spokesperson said: "We do not need to exaggerate its seriousness. We do not need to turn perpetrators into mythical monsters. But neither should we be afraid to say plainly that rape is horrific, that it causes profound trauma and harm, and that responsibility for that harm belongs with the person who chose to violate another person."
The letter added: "Was my rape serious enough? should never be a question a survivor has to ask themselves." It also urged the Scottish Green Party and all political representatives to "be unequivocal. Do not minimise rape. Do not normalise sexual violence. Do not create hierarchies of harm."
The MSP’s comments were also criticised by Scotland’s children’s minister, as well as the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
