Elon Musk blasted for posting ‘transphobic’ meme mocking people who share their pronouns
Elon Musk, founder and chief engineer of SpaceX. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Elon Musk, the billionaire head of Tesla and SpaceX, has been accused of transphobia after posting a meme mocking pronouns.
In an unwanted sequel to his claim that “pronouns suck”, Musk – known for his union-busting practices – shared a meme deriding Twitter users who put their pronouns in their bios.
Musk tweeted a meme of a British Redcoat who “love to oppress” fighting during the American Revolutionary War, rubbing his blood-covered hands on his face, captioned: “When you put he/him in ur bio.”
The tweet immediately stirred up controversy, with countless users accusing Musk of thinly-veiled transphobia.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 14, 2020
As a British person, I'm obligated to drop my tea and smear blood all over my face every time someone puts their pronouns in their bio https://t.co/hryXQo0gaj— 🔆 Femcuck Fatale 🔆 (@ZeeZeeMooMoo) December 14, 2020
https://twitter.com/KatyMontgomerie/status/1338450712439762944
.@elonmusk tweeting out transphobic shit because he’s sad his rocket blew up over the weekend. all that money and influence and the best he can do after a huge public failure is hide behind his twitter account and try to hurt people. what a sad little coward— Pat Reber (@patreberyeah) December 14, 2020
https://twitter.com/_Virtual_Decay_/status/1338396237163360257
They only have one joke https://t.co/2RbV3UcDT1 pic.twitter.com/OqhwrNA7eZ— . (@ElsieKFisher) December 14, 2020
The background of the meme is the 1786 John Turnbell painting The Death of General Montgomery in the Attack on Quebec. The oil painting depicts the American general Richard Montgomery at the Battle of Quebec in 1775 during the Invasion of Quebec.
Elon Musk thinks ‘pronouns suck’.
Musk, who was once fined $20 million by security regulators for a tweet about taking Tesla private, often uses his Twitter account to share obtuse, provocative memes and messages.
In April, he was called out by his own partner, the musician Grimes, for tweeting that “pronouns suck”.
Grimes, who shares a child, X Æ A-Xii, with Musk, wrote in a now-deleted tweet: “I love you but please turn off ur phone or give me a [call].
“I cannot support this hate. Please stop this. I know this is not your heart.”
GLAAD’s “Beginner’s guide to being an ally to trans people” says that “introducing yourself as a cisgender person with your pronouns — which are words that are used to refer to someone without using their name — can make a more inclusive and safe environment for trans people to also share their pronouns”.
“By normalising the practice of sharing your pronouns in your communities, you lighten the pressure on trans people,” it adds.
“This also lowers the chance for unintentional misgendering to happen.”
“By adding your pronouns by your name or at the end of your bio, you can help foster a more trans-friendly social media environment.”
PinkNews has contacted a representative for Elon Musk for comment.
