Q Manivannan is an Indian-origin Scottish Green Party politician, who identifies as a transgender, non-binary person. I had never heard of them until today, when I read about some ostensibly sick comments they made on a podcast:
During the interview, Manivannan questioned the common idea that people who commit rape are fundamentally different from everyone else.
They said the difficult question was understanding what conditions could cause “individuals like ourselves” to commit such an act.
The comments were made while discussing the way rape and perpetrators are viewed by society. The podcast conversation was not recorded as part of Manivannan’s work as an MSP, as they had not yet been elected.
Scottish Labour MP Tracy Gilbert said she was “alarmed” by the remarks and rejected the suggestion that rape should be viewed as existing on a spectrum.
She called on Manivannan to retract the comments and apologise, while also urging Scottish Greens leaders Gillian Mackay and Ross Greer to clarify that the remarks do not represent party policy.
Reform UK MSP Senga Beresford also criticised the comments and called for Manivannan to be suspended while the party investigates.
Scottish Greeens pervert Manivannan thinks rape is overly demonised as it is a spectrum. pic.twitter.com/Ag82MOzywl
— Benjamin 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@BProudPatriot) August 7, 2026
Manivannan has rejected allegations that they were somehow diminishing rape:
In response to the growing backlash, Manivannan rejected allegations that the comments were intended to excuse or diminish sexual offences, stating that the clip had been “misrepresented and taken out of context.”
In a clarifying statement, Manivannan explained that the discussion focused on challenging narrow public stereotypes regarding what a perpetrator looks like. Manivannan argued that relying on extreme caricatures of rapists often prevents victims from being believed when the offender is an acquaintance or trusted figure.
Furthermore, Manivannan re-affirmed that victims of sexual violence should always be supported and believed, and that perpetrators should be held accountable and punished “in the strongest terms.”
Take their denial any way you want. I just wonder whether Manivannan believes Israeli women when they claim they were raped by Hamas terrorists – given they have reportedly supported the vandalism of posters featuring Israeli hostages from October 7. These hardly seem to be the words of someone who re-affirms that “victims of sexual violence should always be supported and believed, and that perpetrators should be held accountable and punished “in the strongest terms.””
And someone who responds to an Auschwitz Museum appeal for support with “Just unfollowed you” has already given us reason to question their moral compass.
Maybe the rape remarks really were taken out of context. Maybe Manivannan has been terribly misunderstood.
But I’ve noticed a recurring pattern with those who harbor an obsessive hatred for Israel: the closer you look at their purported moral high ground, the clearer it becomes that they are standing in a moral abyss.
