Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed that his estranged transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, was “killed” after undergoing gender-affirming care. During an interview with psychologist and conservative commentator Jordan Peterson, Musk expressed his desire to “destroy the woke mind virus.”
Musk referred to gender-reassignment surgery as “child mutilation and sterilization,” stating that Wilson received gender-affirming care during the pandemic. He mentioned feeling misled into signing documents for Wilson, who chose to no longer use her father’s last name, at a time when he was confused and concerned for her safety.
He criticized the practice of providing gender-affirming interventions to children who are below the age of consent, aligning with Peterson’s view that it is “incredibly evil.” Musk also claimed he was not informed that puberty blockers function similarly to sterilization drugs, although these blockers do not directly affect fertility.
“I was tricked into doing this,” Musk lamented, portraying the situation as a loss of his son. He emphasized that the term “deadnaming” reflects the death of his son in a metaphorical sense.
His remarks came shortly after he announced a relocation of his companies to Texas in response to California’s AB1955, also known as the SAFETY Act, which limits parental notification regarding children identifying as transgender. Musk has faced accusations of transphobia and promoting anti-trans narratives.
In 2022, Wilson sought a legal name change to dissociate from her biological father. According to biographer Walter Isaacson, Musk attributes their strained relationship to the progressive environment of Wilson’s school in Los Angeles. This estrangement has been suggested to influence Musk’s increasingly right-wing viewpoints on various topics, including diversity and immigration. Recently, he expressed support for the Republican presidential ticket, including former president Donald Trump and Senator J.D. Vance.