Holyrood should not be a playground for student activists to promote their pet causes

The St Andrews University recent graduate claims non-binary status and prefers to use they/them pronouns. A poet, the box-fresh politician is now the Greens' culture spokesperson and has lost no time in carving out a place in Scotland’s arts and political elite, making friends with figures such as Kezia Dugdale, the former leader of Scottish Labour and wife of the current deputy First Minister, Jenny Giltruth.

With a flick of lustrous locks, the MSP brushes aside legitimate questions about visas and leave to remain. Dr Manivannan is a citizen of India, in possession of a student visa and in the midst of an applying for a graduate one. The rules allowed the former student to stand for election to Holyrood while on a temporary visa – a generous interpretation of democracy, rare across the rest of the world. It didn’t take long for the regional list MSP to tell the rest of us what was wrong with Scotland.

Read more: Q Manivannan apologises for 'abstract language' over 'rape is a spectrum' row

But today, the supremely self-confident anthropologist, supposedly an expert in human behaviour, is at the centre of a political storm. Last weekend, a 2025 recording of The Subjective Space podcast emerged on social media, where in a long, somewhat rambling interview, the MSP asserted that there “definitely is a demonisation of rape”, adding “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."

The tone deaf exposition of violent sexual assault continued, with Manivannan claiming there were different “modes” of rape. The MSP said: “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.”

And my interpretation of the tortuous quasi-academic language used throughout the podcast suggests Manivannan argued that if anyone could be a rapist, then even rapists deserve kindness. The MSP said: “…beginning to ask what are those conditions that could lead individuals like ourselves, for instance, to be in that position and commit such an act is the kind of question that would lead one to be sufficient carers towards even perpetrators of crimes like rape.”

Women’s groups exploded with anger. Rightly. Figures released by Police Scotland a few weeks ago show a 10 per cent increase in the number of sexual crimes from the previous year, with assaults now at their highest level since 1971. And these are just the reported incidents. There are thousands more women who do not report sexual assault, often for fear they will not be believed.

Dr Manivannan rushed to quell the controversy, claiming the comments had been “selectively edited in order to mislead people”. I have read the transcript of the podcast, all 12 pages of it, several times. The comments about rape were fully in the context of the discussion, which was a confused and confusing conversation about care - “quintessential to imagining a queer feminist future” according to the interviewer - which touched on, among other things, Gaza, Ghandi and Clockwork Orange as well as the “demonisation of rape”.

Read more: Crisis centres condemn Green MSP’s rape ‘spectrum’ comments

The proudly queer elected member has since apologised for the furore, expressing regret for any distress or hurt, saying: “Words matter, particularly when speaking about something as deeply personal and painful as sexual violence, and I regret this hurt caused”. Manivannan has agreed to meet with Scottish Rape Crisis but, as yet, has not chosen to speak to the Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance, whose members provide services to 41 per cent of Scotland’s female population.

In a blistering letter published in response to Manivannan’s mea culpa, the Alliance wrote: “Politicians have a responsibility not simply to debate sexual violence, but to help create a society in which it is prevented, survivors are believed and supported, those who commit sexual violence are held accountable, and women and girls do not carry the responsibility for anticipating and managing the risk of violence. That responsibility should extend to the language politicians use. Words matter.”

And in a somewhat surprising turn of events, it has been reported that there is a “groundswell” of anger within the Scottish Green party at the damage done by Manivannan’s loose tongue. One insider described the incident as “bruising”, while others called for action by the party’s leadership team, Gillian Mackay and Ross Greer. “This is not good for us,” said a senior activist.

Over the last decade, the Scottish Greens have expanded their political platform from saving the planet to being the standard bearers for queer ideology. Sex and the amorphous cause of gender identity matter as much as, if not more than, climate justice and Dr Q Manivannan represents the apogee of progressive sexual politics. But for every voter attracted by the MSP's flowing locks, self-absorbed poetry and non-binary status, there are several more confused, even repelled by such attitudes and behaviour.

Read more: Sturgeon is right on one thing, there is no vision in SNP

Holyrood should not be a playground for student activists to promote their pet causes. It is a powerful legislature which has the power to change people’s lives for the better. And whether we like it or not, the Scottish Greens with 15 MSPs – only two fewer than Scottish Labour – are now a powerful force in our country.

But with power comes responsibility. The Manivannan affair is a test for Gillian Mackay and Ross Greer. If they remain silent, they are by implication condoning their colleague. At the very least, they should publicly condemn Manivannan’s words. Better perhaps to remove the whip for a period, so teaching the MSP a valuable lesson in humility and discipline. Representing people is neither an academic exercise nor a jolly protest. It is a serious role for serious, grown-up people, where words do indeed matter. As do deeds.