Q Manivannan

This is my home and I’m not going anywhere.

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.

I will always stand with and for victims and survivors.

As a survivor of sexual violence, who has spoken openly about my recovery, I am clear that we need to focus on reducing the likelihood of perpetrators of rape reoffending.

Any suggestion that my statements minimise or excuse rape or sexual assault are deeply false and misleading.

A full viewing of the interview clarifies this.

If we are to tackle rape and sexual violence we need to tackle wider issues in society, including the ways boys and men are socialised.

Victims should be believed regardless of who the perpetrator was, and rapists should be punished in the strongest terms.

This clip has been clearly misrepresented and taken out of context from a much longer interview.

You're seeing cohesion with every other party, including with the Conservatives and Labour – simply because everyone understands that regardless of the disagreements and very strong disagreements they continue to have, basic human decency…

That's how it was received by the parliament, by pretty much every single other member of parliament who isn't in Reform, which is the one and extremely incredible thing that's happening in Holyrood right now," they said.

I feel like the more time we spend there and the more, the less time I spend making that the core element of my identity, the more they're warming up as well. Because the one thing they can't deny is whether or not I can do my job.

I'm not going to name any names, but literally there has been at least a member from – usually multiple – coming in to say: We will have disagreements, but ignore this. This is not what you were here for. You were elected in by your…

Enough of them have said problematic things about me, enough of them have supported people who say horrible things about me," Manivannan said.

We urge the Scottish Government to prioritise engaging with communities of colour, Muslim communities and migrant communities in Edinburgh to determine what additional support and protection measures need to be put in place.

Edinburgh is stronger than hate. We will stand together as a community, united against those who seek to spread fear and division.

Nobody should be attacked because of who they are, the colour of their skin, or the faith they follow.

The attacks in Edinburgh were horrific, and our thoughts are with those who have been injured and their loved ones.

I have been very clear about the relative privileges I had as well as the relative deprivations I come from.

I did not feel like this was the wrong thing to be doing. If anything it further re-enforced the fact that I should be doing this.

I didn't ask for security. I was allocated it by the parliament. Police complaints had to be made about threats I had received.

Those communities are ones that nobody can take away from me and they are my testament. To people who question my ability to serve in office, I would say I have enough of my constituents writing to me on a daily basis saying 'thank you so…

In my speech after my election I said 'I am to some in this country, everything that the hateful despise' so I did expect some vitriol because it is not new to us, we are used to it but the level of attention - and it was international…

So in some ways I feel trans people are already ready for politics. We just need more of them in there.