Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently expressed his distress over the gender-affirming care received by his estranged transgender daughter, claiming it resulted in her being “killed,” a statement that further fuels his campaign against what he terms the “woke mind virus.”
These comments emerged during an interview with psychologist and conservative commentator Jordan Peterson, aired on Monday. Musk characterized gender-reassignment surgery as “child mutilation and sterilization,” asserting that his daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, underwent gender-affirming treatments during the pandemic at the age of 16.
“I was essentially tricked into signing documents for one of my older boys,” Musk remarked, using Wilson’s previous name and noting that he was uninformed about the implications at the time due to the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic. He expressed concern that he was persuaded to agree to these treatments under fears that his child might be suicidal.
Musk emphasized his belief that these procedures target children who are not of consenting age, sharing Peterson’s view that it is “incredibly evil” and calling for severe consequences for those who promote such treatments. Despite having twelve children and previously discussing the importance of addressing fertility decline, Musk stated he was never informed that puberty blockers were essentially sterilization drugs, though such blockers do not inherently affect fertility.
Musk lamented what he described as a loss of his son and referred to the concept of “deadnaming,” asserting that it signifies the death of his relationship with his child. His comments come in the wake of his announcement that companies like X and SpaceX would follow Tesla to Texas, a move prompted by California’s AB1955, known as the SAFETY Act, which prohibits schools from requiring parental notification if a child identifies as transgender.
In 2022, Musk’s daughter sought a name change and a new birth certificate, stating in legal documents her desire to sever ties with her father completely. Musk has suggested that her progressive schooling in Los Angeles has contributed to their estrangement, which he believes underlies his “anti-woke” views.
Musk, once identified with center-left politics, has increasingly aligned with right-wing ideologies on various issues, including diversity initiatives and immigration. Recently, he backed the Republican presidential campaign of Donald Trump and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, both of whom are advocates for the oil industry and opponents of clean energy initiatives.