by Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said his transgender daughter, who he was in contact with, was “killed” by the “awakened mind virus” after she was tricked into agreeing to gender-confirming care procedures.
In an interview with psychologist and conservative commentator Dr. Jordan Peterson, the X owner called gender reassignment surgery “infant mutilation and sterilization.” He then talked about his 20-year-old daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, who he said underwent the procedures during the pandemic.
“I was brought in to sign papers for one of my older sons,” Musk told Peterson in an interview with The Daily Wire in which he referred to his child by his dead name. “This was before I understood what was going on, and we had COVID, so there was a lot of confusion and I was told that (Musk’s child) could commit suicide.”
The SpaceX founder claimed the process is being applied to children “who are well below the age of consent” and said he agreed with Peterson’s belief that anyone who encourages the practice should go to prison.
“I was tricked into doing this,” Musk said. “I lost my son, basically. They call it deadnaming for a reason. The reason they call it deadnaming is because your son is dead.”
Musk later said that this experience gave him a mission.
“I vowed to destroy the waking mind virus after this,” Musk said. “And we’re making progress.”
Vivian Jenna Wilson Cut Ties With Her Father in 2022
Wilson legally had his name and gender change completed at the age of 18 at the Santa Monica Courthouse in California on June 22, 2022.
She said the name change was due to gender identity and an apparent dislike of Musk, according to a petition filed April 18, 2022, in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
“I no longer live with my biological father and no longer wish to have any connection with him in any way,” Wilson wrote in the petition.
Wilson’s mother is Justine Wilson, a Canadian author who divorced Elon Musk in 2008; the couple share six children.
Elon Musk calls ‘awakened mind virus’ a threat to modern civilization
Musk has already criticized what he calls “awakened mind virus” In a December 2021 interview with conservative outlet The Babylon Bee, he called it a “humorless world” and “arguably one of the greatest threats to modern civilization.”
On April 25, 2022, Elon Musk announced his intention to purchase Twitter for $44 billion and closed the deal about six months later. He has promised to restore “free speech” to the platform and has stepped up his conservative political commentary since the purchase.
Earlier this month, Musk said he fully supported former President Donald Trump following the assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13.
Gender affirming care is a valid and science-backed method
Gender reaffirmation care is a valid, scientifically proven medical method that saves lives for people who need care to manage their gender identity. Gender reaffirmation care can range from talk therapy or hormone therapy to surgery.
Some experts say gender-affirming care should be viewed like other forms of medicine, where treatment methods can be debated and argued over rather than the validity of their need.
“In all areas of medicine, we are constantly improving and changing care, developing new guidelines and expanding research,” Dr. Ximena Lopez, a pediatric endocrinologist in California, told USA TODAY. “So it should come as no surprise that the same is true in gender-related care.”
Transgender adults make up less than 2% of the U.S. population, and about 5% of young adults identify as transgender or nonbinary.
“We have to take a step back from acknowledging that yes, they can have side effects, but that’s why they’re not used so casually,” Dr. Ramiz Kseri, an assistant professor in the department of clinical sciences at Florida State University’s School of Medicine, previously told USA TODAY. “That’s why there’s a debate about it, there’s a discussion about what outcomes are desired and what outcomes aren’t.”
Contributions: Natalie Neysa Alund, Jessica Guynn and David Oliver, USA TODAY
