Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently stated that he feels his estranged transgender daughter was “killed” by the gender-affirming care she received, prompting him to pledge to “destroy the woke mind virus.”
Musk shared his thoughts during an interview with psychologist and conservative commentator Jordan Peterson on Monday. He referred to gender-reassignment surgery as “child mutilation and sterilization.” His daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, came out as transgender at 16 and sought gender-affirming care during the pandemic.
In the interview, Musk claimed he was “tricked” into signing documents regarding his child’s transition. He expressed regret over how he was misled and stated that he was concerned for his child’s mental health, fearing she might commit suicide. He criticized the procedures being performed on minors, agreeing with Peterson that they are “incredibly evil” and called for imprisonment for those who promote such practices. Musk, a father of 12, insisted he was not informed that puberty blockers function as sterilization drugs, although these blockers do not directly affect fertility.
Musk expressed deep emotional distress over the situation, stating, “I lost my son, essentially. They call it ‘deadnaming’ for a reason. The reason they call it ‘deadnaming’ is because your son is dead.”
His remarks follow his announcement that X and SpaceX will relocate to Texas, in part due to California’s AB1955 legislation, which limits parental notifications regarding transgender students. Musk has faced accusations of promoting transphobic views in the past.
In 2022, Musk’s daughter sought a name change and a new birth certificate, declaring in court that she no longer wished to be associated with her biological father. Musk has attributed his fractured relationship with her to the progressive educational environment in Los Angeles where she attended school, a sentiment echoed in Walter Isaacson’s biography of him. This estrangement has been cited as a contributing factor to Musk’s increasingly vocal “anti-woke” stance.
Over recent years, Musk, who was once considered center-left, has increasingly aligned himself with right-leaning ideologies, addressing topics such as diversity, electoral integrity, and immigration. This month, he endorsed the Republican presidential ticket featuring former President Donald Trump and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, both of whom advocate for traditional energy sources and oppose clean energy initiatives.