Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stirred controversy with comments made during an interview on Monday with psychologist and conservative commentator Jordan Peterson, where he suggested that his estranged transgender daughter was “killed” after receiving gender-affirming care. Musk declared he would work to “destroy the woke mind virus” and criticized gender-reassignment surgery, referring to it as “child mutilation and sterilization.”
Musk’s daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, publicly came out as transgender when she was 16 and accessed gender-affirming care during the pandemic. Musk expressed regret for signing documents concerning Wilson’s care, claiming he was misled and frightened that his child might attempt suicide at that time.
He criticized the medical procedures being administered to minors, labeling them as “incredibly evil,” and contended that those advocating for such care should face incarceration. Musk, who has 12 children and often discusses issues around fertility and underpopulation, insisted that he wasn’t informed that puberty blockers could be viewed as sterilization drugs, despite the fact that puberty blockers alone do not affect fertility.
“I was tricked into doing this,” Musk remarked, emphasizing his sense of loss regarding his son. He stated, “They call it ‘deadnaming’ for a reason. The reason they call it ‘deadnaming’ is because your son is dead.”
These comments follow Musk’s recent announcements that his companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, would relocate from California to Texas in response to the state’s AB1955 law, which prohibits schools from notifying parents if a child identifies as transgender. He has faced accusations of promoting anti-trans messaging in the past.
Wilson has sought a name change and new birth certificate, expressing in court a desire to sever ties with Musk. His strained relationship with Wilson is suggested to have influenced his vocal stance against progressive ideologies. Musk, who previously identified with center-left politics, has recently aligned himself more with right-wing viewpoints, endorsing candidates like former President Donald Trump and Senator J.D. Vance, who support traditional energy industries over clean energy initiatives.