Green MSP Q Manivannan calls for Holyrood toilet policy review as opponents brand trans-inclusive remarks “crank”
Q Manivannan has urged Holyrood to review toilet access policy (Image: Ken Jack/Getty Images)
Scottish Green MSP Q Manivannan has called for Holyrood to review its lavatory access policy after last year’s Supreme Court ruling, and said transgender women should be allowed to use women’s lavatories, in a Herald interview. The remarks were branded as “crank” and prompted condemnation from opponents.
Manivannan, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, said they had heard from constituents with differing views on single-sex spaces. They said: “I have had constituents writing to me on all sides of the opinion, but also women, cis women, who have for a very long time said: ‘I am not in fact threatened by trans women in my toilets. I am threatened by men and the violence that I face from them’.”
They also argued that men can be survivors of sexual assault, adding: “There are men who are survivors of sexual assault [by men] including friends of mine. In that case, why don’t we ban men from men’s bathroom spaces?”
Backlash and accusations
For Women Scotland co-director Marion Calder criticised the remarks, saying: “Q Manivannan should stop trying to colonise our spaces. What Q is calling for would amount to a clear breach of the law and workplace regulations.”
Scottish Conservative equalities spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher called them “crank comments”, saying: “These crank comments are further proof that the extremist Greens are determined to break the law and undermine women’s rights.”
Greens defend MSP’s remarks
Manivannan was elected on the Scottish Greens’ regional list for Edinburgh & the Lothians last month. They said abuse received after entering parliament had strengthened their resolve to remain in politics, saying: “Not for a moment. If anything, it further reinforced the fact that I should be doing this.”
A Scottish Greens spokesperson said the party believed in self-ID, adding: “To any fair-minded person reading or watching the interview, it is clear that Q was clearly not making a policy proposal to ban men from using men’s bathrooms, but instead was using it as an example to illustrate a point relating to problems that stem from blanket bans on such spaces.”
