Ex-Edinburgh Rape Crisis CEO Seeks Scottish Greens MSP Nomination

Mridul Wadhwa, the former transgender CEO of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, has launched a bid to become a Scottish Greens MSP in the upcoming Holyrood elections. Wadhwa resigned last year following a damning independent report and an employment tribunal that found the centre, under Wadhwa's leadership, failed to provide adequate female-only support and unlawfully discriminated against a staff member with gender-critical beliefs. The report criticized Wadhwa for failing to set professional standards and for making inflammatory remarks suggesting sexual violence survivors who prefer female-only care were "bigoted" and needed to "reframe their trauma." Despite widespread criticism, including from Scottish Conservative MSP Tess White, Wadhwa has received backing from the Scottish Greens' LGBT+ wing, Rainbow Greens, highlighting her background as a migrant, trans woman of color, and activist in equalities organizations. Wadhwa previously stood as an SNP candidate but shifted to the Greens after disagreements over policies on female-only spaces for rape survivors. The controversy around Wadhwa's candidacy reflects ongoing tensions in Scotland over transgender rights, women's spaces, and political representation within progressive parties.