Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that he felt his estranged transgender daughter was “killed” after she received gender-affirming care. He expressed his intention to “destroy the woke mind virus” during an interview with psychologist and conservative commentator Jordan Peterson.
Musk referred to gender-reassignment surgery as “child mutilation and sterilization,” discussing his daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson, who came out as transgender at the age of 16. Musk claimed he was misled into signing documents for her care during the pandemic, when confusion was heightened due to COVID-19. He expressed concern about his child potentially facing suicidal thoughts at that time.
He criticized the medical procedures being applied to minors and echoed Peterson’s assertion that such practices are “incredibly evil,” calling for those who promote them to face imprisonment. Musk, who has a total of 12 children, remarked that he never truly understood that puberty blockers function as sterilization drugs, despite their individual effects on fertility.
Musk lamented, “I was tricked into doing this. I lost my son, essentially,” referencing the term “deadnaming” to highlight his feelings of loss regarding his daughter’s identity change.
These comments come shortly after Musk announced that X and SpaceX would relocate to Texas due to California’s AB1955, known as the SAFETY Act, which prohibits schools from disclosing to parents if their child identifies as transgender and requires state resources for LGBTQ+ children. Musk has faced accusations of engaging in transphobic behavior in the past.
In 2022, Wilson requested a name change and new birth certificate, stating in legal documents her desire to sever ties with her biological father. Musk attributed the strain in their relationship to the progressive school she attended in Los Angeles, a point highlighted in Walter Isaacson’s biography of Musk. Isaacson suggested that Musk’s contentious relationship with Wilson has influenced his anti-woke rhetoric.
Musk has shifted from his previously moderate political views to adopt more right-wing positions on various issues, including diversity and immigration. Recently, he endorsed the Republican presidential ticket of former President Donald Trump and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, both advocates of the oil industry and critics of clean energy initiatives.