Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, recently criticized gender-affirming care during an interview with psychologist and conservative commentator Jordan Peterson. He expressed deep concern over his estranged transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, alleging that the care she received during the pandemic led him to feel as though she had been “killed.”
Musk described gender-reassignment surgery as “child mutilation and sterilization,” revealing that he was misled into signing documents concerning his daughter’s transition when she was 16. He recounted that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was told there were serious risks to her mental health, including potential suicide, which influenced his decision.
He expressed a strong opposition to the medical practices related to gender transition for minors, stating that it is “incredibly evil” and suggesting that promoters of such treatments should face imprisonment. Musk claimed he was not adequately informed that puberty blockers could lead to permanent sterilization, despite evidence indicating that they do not directly affect fertility on their own.
Musk lamented that he felt he had “lost” his son to the transition process, referring to the concept of “deadnaming”—the term used when someone uses a previous name for a transgender person. He remarked on how the name change signifies a significant loss for him.
His comments followed his announcement that his companies, including SpaceX and X (formerly Twitter), would relocate to Texas due to new legislation in California affecting parental notification regarding children’s transgender identity. Musk has faced accusations of transphobia and promoting anti-trans messaging, which have intensified over time.
In 2022, Wilson applied for a name change to distance herself legally from her father, stating in court documents that she wished to sever ties completely. Musk has attributed their estrangement to her school environment in Los Angeles, suggesting it influenced her views and contributed to their strained relationship. This ongoing rift appears to fuel Musk’s increasingly right-wing rhetoric on various social issues.