One of the world’s most famous men has come under fire this week for dragging one of his children into the spotlight and publicly denying her gender identity. Now, she’s speaking out.
A Controversial Figure
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is often in the headlines for his business ventures and political opinions. However, this week he gained a wave of attention for something very different: his contentious relationship with his estranged transgender daughter, Vivian Wilson.
Speaking About Trans Issues
Recently Musk has gone on the record railing against the increased visibility of transgender people in society, including growing trans-adjacent legislation and access to gender-affirming therapy.
Putting His Child in the Spotlight
This has culminated in a much more personal look into his personal life and family relationships. Recently Musk has pushed his transgender daughter Vivian, previously known as “Xavier,” into the public spotlight.
A Shocking Interview
The billionaire tech mogul shocked the public in an interview with psychologist Jordan Peterson, where he lamented his daughter’s gender identity, claiming that his “son” is “dead” and that she was “killed by the woke mind virus.”
Claims He Was “Tricked”
Musk also claimed that he had been “tricked” into signing medical documents that gave his daughter permission to transition when she was 16 years old.
Denying Her Identity
Then, he went even further in a public post on his social media platform X, where he continuously referred to his daughter as his ‘son,’ even going so far as to say she was not trans but “gay and slightly autistic.”
Describing His Child
He then described a range of behaviors that his daughter exhibited as a child, which he appeared to view as more stereotypical of gay people, to support his claim.
She Speaks Out
Wilson, a 20-year-old college student who is now completely estranged from her high-profile father, hit back at these claims on Threads, Meta’s rival platform to X.
“He Simply Wasn’t There”
“He doesn’t know what I was like as a child because he quite simply wasn’t there,” she wrote. “And in the little time that he was, I was relentlessly harassed for my femininity and queerness.”
“That Says a Lot” About His Views
“I’ve been reduced to a happy little stereotype,” she wrote of her father’s recollections. “I think that says a lot about how he views queer people and children in general.”
Sharing More in Interviews
Later, Wilson also gave a telephone interview with NBC News to share more of her side of the story, shedding light on her experiences growing up as a transgender child in the Musk household.
“I’m Not Gonna Let That Slide”
“I think he was under the assumption that I wasn’t going to say anything and I would just let this go unchallenged,” Wilson said. “Which I’m not going to do, because if you’re going to lie about me, like, blatantly to an audience of millions, I’m not just gonna let that slide.”
A Difficult Relationship
Wilson then went on to describe her relationship with her father as a child, describing him as “cruel” and “cold,” among other descriptions. “He’s very quick to anger. He is uncaring and narcissistic,” she added.
Denying His Claims
She also denied that her father had been tricked into approving her gender transition and defended the use of puberty blockers for transgender people, claiming that they “save lives.”
Her First Time Publically Addressing Her Father
Wilson is one of Musk’s twelve children, and famously publicly distanced herself from her father when she legally changed her surname to Wilson in 2022. This is the first time she has publicly spoken about their rocky parent-child relationship.
Musk Facing Criticisms
Since the interview with Peterson and the ensuing controversy around his X posts about Wilson, Musk has received major criticism for “deadnaming” his child and denying their gender identity.
Not the First Time
It is far from the first time Musk has faced public scrutiny for his comments and opinions on trans people and the wider LGBTQ community.
Past Issues
Famously, last year, he referred to the terms “cis” and “cisgender” (meaning someone whose gender identity aligns with their assigned sex at birth) as discriminatory and against the X user agreement.
Contradictory Claims
Despite this stance, he has defended multiple instances of deadnaming and misgendering on his platform under the guise of “free speech.” He has also publically condemned the use of puberty blockers for trans youth.
“Sad and Unsurprising”
“In a world where Musk could use his public status for good, he chooses to use trans youth as a scapegoat,” said Jared Todd, a press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign. “It’s both sad and unsurprising given his history.”
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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Frederic Legrand – COMEO.
