Dr Q Manivannan and Iris Duane both secured regional list seats for the Greens on Friday.
Dr Manivannan made history when they were elected in Edinburgh and Lothians East, and Duane’s seat in the Glasgow region was confirmed shortly afterwards.
Since, the pair have received thousands of messages of abuse with public online comments calling them “disgusting”, “perverted” and “lying scumbags”. One states: “Lipstick on a pig is lunacy”.
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A Scottish Greens spokesperson told The National that the abuse “directed towards our new MSPs has been disgraceful”.
They added: “It should not be part of the job, and it is no wonder that so many people are deterred from putting themselves forward.
“The last few years have been really difficult for a lot of LGBTQ+ people across Scotland and beyond.
“Trans people in particular have been targeted and abused as part of a cynical culture war that has been encouraged by other parties and parts of the media.”
(Image: PA)
The party spokesperson pointed towards the increase of racist rhetoric and policies “playing an even more prominent role” in politics with the rise of Reform UK.
They added: “All politicians have a responsibility to reject hatred and division rather than embracing and using it.
“This is the biggest and most diverse group of Green MSPs ever to be elected. We hope that our parliament is one that reflects the fairer, greener and kinder country we want to build.”
Elsewhere, co-leader Gillian Mackay confirmed Dr Manivannan will need to apply for a visa renewal.
Dr Manivannan is reported to have lived in Scotland since 2021, with speculation on social media they are in the UK on a student visa.
(Image: Scottish Greens)
Asked if Dr Manivannan – a self-declared “queer Tamil immigrant” – is able to serve the full five-year term at Holyrood, Mackay told BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show: “There will have to be a renewal of Q’s visa.
“That is a process they will have to complete over the session of Parliament.”
She stressed the Scottish Parliament had “specifically passed legislation to allow people like Q to be able to stand and be MSPs”.
Pressed on the prospect of the new MSP being refused a renewed visa by the Home Office, Mackay said: “I don’t think it is likely that will happen.”
She said the Greens will do “anything we can do to support Q” with the renewal process.
There were 15 Greens MSPs elected in what was the party’s best ever election result.
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Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick also hit out at Dr Manivannan on Twitter/X.
“Dr Manivannan may be a nice young person,” Jenrick wrote, adding: “But I don’t want to live in a country where people on student visas can become elected representatives to national parliaments.
“He’s crowdfunding from Green Party members for his graduate visa for Pete’s sake.”
He later added: “Yesterday I said the new Green MSP here on a student visa ‘may be a nice young person’. I take that back.
“He also bragged about unfollowing the Auschwitz museum. What type of sick individual does that.”