Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently made controversial remarks regarding his estranged transgender daughter, claiming that she was “killed” after receiving gender-affirming care. During an interview with psychologist Jordan Peterson, Musk expressed his intention to “destroy the woke mind virus.”
Musk labeled gender-reassignment surgery as “child mutilation and sterilization,” stating that his daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, received gender-affirming care during the pandemic and came out as transgender at the age of 16. He expressed regret for having signed documents related to her transition, suggesting he was misled about the implications and informed of concerns about her mental health.
Musk criticized the practice of administering transition care to minors, agreeing with Peterson that it is “incredibly evil” and called for imprisonment of those who promote it. He also expressed confusion over the nature of puberty blockers, which he claimed were not adequately explained to him as drugs that can lead to sterilization, although it is noted that puberty blockers do not directly affect fertility on their own.
In his comments, Musk mentioned feeling as if he had lost his son, stating that the term “deadnaming” illustrates the impact of his daughter’s transition. His remarks came shortly after his announcement that his companies, including Tesla, would relocate to Texas, partly in response to California’s SAFETY Act, which affects parental notification for transgender identification in schools.
Musk’s daughter sought a name change and a new birth certificate in 2022, expressing a desire to disassociate from her father. Musk has attributed their strained relationship to her progressive school in Los Angeles, and this dynamic has been suggested as a factor fueling his anti-woke sentiments.
In recent years, Musk has shifted from his previous moderate political stance to embracing more right-wing ideologies, including vocal support for the Republican Party and former President Donald Trump.