Rape crisis centres condemn Green MSP’s rape 'spectrum' comments

The Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance (SRCA) has condemned a Green MSP over their comments about the “demonisation of rape”.

Dr Q Manivannan was also rebuked for a comment that rape exists on a “spectrum”, made during The Subjective Space podcast last year.

In an open letter, the alliance, which represents four rape crisis centres in Scotland, said there was “no hierarchy of rape” and warned the MSP not to “minimise” sexual violence.

The Conservatives called for the Scottish Greens to suspend Manivannan, while their comments have been criticised by Scotland’s children’s minister, as well as Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

During the nearly hour-long exchange, which reemerged online this weekend, Manivannan, a non-binary MSP, said there was a “demonisation of rape”.

“It is a spectrum,” they added, “none of which is any worse or less or more worse, but it is a spectrum of things that constitute that one homogenised word, rape.”

Manivannan also said there were “different modes” of consent and rape.

The MSP went on to say that the idea of a rapist being a “big, big, burly man” was “not necessarily unfounded”, but said it was “misconstrued” because “any individual is capable” of rape.

The SRCA said it “fundamentally rejects the suggestion that society is demonising rape”.

The alliance 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 said recognising the complexity of sexual violence “does not require us to make rape itself ambiguous”, and added that there was “no hierarchy of rape” and “no level of suffering a survivor must demonstrate before their experience becomes serious enough to matter”.

“‘Was my rape serious enough?’ should never be a question a survivor has to ask themselves,” the letter said.

It added: “We are asking 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.

“Do not ask survivors to make their experiences smaller so that political conversations can be made more comfortable.

“And do not lose sight of the person, more often than not a woman or girl, at the centre of the discussion.

“She is not a theoretical concept. She is not a statistic. She is not a political pawn.”

The MSP said in a statement: “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.

“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. I also made the point that rapists do not fit a single stereotype and that many men are relatives or known to their victims.

“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.

“Rape and sexual violence can leave profound pain, fear, hurt and trauma. I know from my experience of surviving sexual violence and speaking about recovery how deeply those experiences can affect people. And this complete mischaracterisation of my words has now returned me to my trauma.

“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.

“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.”