Scotland elects first trans MSPs

While much of the election news has been an absolute shitshow, there was a tiny ray of hope. Scotland elected its first two trans MSPs to Holyrood.

Trans MSPs elected

Scottish Green Party candidate Dr Q Manivannan made history as the first ever trans Scottish MSP when they were elected in Edinburgh and Lothians East. They were quickly followed by the second, as Iris Duane was announced as the new Scottish Green MSP for Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill shortly after.

Speaking to supporters at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, Dr Manivannan said:

My name is Dr Q Manivannan, I am a transgender Tamil immigrant, my pronouns are they/them.

I am to some in this country everything that the hateful despise and I am standing here as your MSP now with care.

While the Scottish Greens won 13 seats, Reform won 15. Luckily, they’re still not the controlling party, with Labour holding 17 and the SNP 57.

Manivannan continued:

They say politics is the art of the possible, a politics of care I would say expands what is possible for everyone left behind, pushed out or never invited in.

Every barrier placed before me with the Greens was the reason also that we pushed further.

This is what diversity looks like in power.

Finally, they thanked their family:

You showed me that home is the place you don’t have to explain yourself, and where you can believe in one another. Thank you.

As the Canary’s Alex Cocker noted when they interviewed Manivannan, Scotland has been a hub for transphobic hatred in recent years. The transphobic supreme court ruling came about after For Women Scotland used its influence.

When Cocker asked Manivannan how they felt about being targeted by anti-trans groups, the reply was a simple:

It feels like I’m doing a good thing by pissing off the right people

The Scottish Green Party’s manifesto was the only one to pledge to stand by trans people. They promised to ban conversion therapy, stamp out hate crime and ensure access to healthcare for trans people.

Manivannan also spoke sharply about Reform and refuted the idea that they’re the new party for working-class people

They said:

There is a global authoritarian movement rising, and that it is not one that is led by working people – it is directly millionaire- and billionaire-funded. When they say cut taxes, they mean cutting taxes for the rich. When they say we need to drill the North Sea, it means lining the pockets of more rich billionaires.

Scotland not a hateful country

The election of not one, but two trans MSPs from immigrant backgrounds shows that Scotland refuses to become the hateful nation that Reform and anti-trans groups are trying to turn it into.

Featured image via the Canary