Q Manivannan apologised for the hurt caused by comments about the “demonisation” of rape after criticism over remarks in which they described rape as “a spectrum of things.” The Scottish Green Party MSP made the comments in The Subjective Space podcast recorded last year, before election to the Scottish Parliament in May's election.
In the recording, Manivannan said there was a “myth of the monster rapist” and argued that rape was “a spectrum of things” that were folded into one word. They also said “any individual is capable of rape, including yourself and me, and I think that scary thought is the hardest to contend with.”
The Subjective Space podcast
The comments re-emerged online at the weekend and drew criticism from survivors and political opponents. Manivannan later said the podcast clips were “selectively edited” and apologised for the upset. Sindhu Rajasekaran was interviewing them about care and carers in society when the exchange turned to the rehabilitation of criminals and rape.
Rajasekaran said she could have no empathy for rapists. Manivannan replied that the idea of a rapist as a “big burly man” was understandably a source of fear. They then said the “demonisation of rape” had gone too far in the way it was being discussed.
Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance
The Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance, which represents four rape crisis centres in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and the Western Isles, said there is “no hierarchy of rape” and warned the MSP not to minimise sexual violence. In an open letter, it said, “We are not demonising rape. We are naming it.”
The alliance said the impacts of rape can last a lifetime and that the crime should never be reduced to a theoretical debate. Reem Alsalem also posted on X that rape should never be spoken about in terms of it being a spectrum.
The apology leaves the political fallout tied to what was said on the recording, not just how the clips were cut. The unanswered issue is what exactly was omitted from the podcast exchange, and whether the missing context changes the meaning of Manivannan’s remarks.
