MSP apologises for hurt caused by rape 'demonisation' comments

A newly-elected MSP has apologised for the hurt caused by comments in which they talked of the "demonisation" of rape.

Scottish Green Party politician Q Manivannan has also faced criticism for suggesting rape is a "spectrum of things" during a podcast recorded before they were elected to the Scottish Parliament.

Earlier, the Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance (SRCA) - which represents four rape crisis centres - said there is "no hierarchy of rape" and warned the MSP not to minimise sexual violence.

In a statement, Manivannan said clips from the podcast had been "selectively edited" but said they were "sorry" for the upset, and insisted they would never seek to diminish a rape survivor's experience.

The comments, which were made during The Subjective Space podcast , external recorded last year, sparked fury after they re-emerged online at the weekend.

Manivannan, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, was being interviewed about care and carers in society, when host Sindhu Rajasekaran raised the rehabilitation of criminals, saying she could have no empathy for rapists.

The Edinburgh-based former writer and academic said there was a "myth of the monster rapist" and "a demonisation of rape in the sense of it is a spectrum".

They continued: "It is a spectrum, none of which is any less or worse, but it is a spectrum of things that constitute one homogenised word 'rape'".