In a podcast, a year before their election as a regional MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Manivannan said rape was “is a spectrum”. The Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance (SRCA) also condemned Manivannan over the comments. Manivannan added that they know that 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," they added. “There's also different modes of, well, not just consent, but also context and conditions under which rape is, well, rape.