Elon Musk says his trans child Vivian was ‘killed by the woke mind virus’
Elon Musk says his trans child Vivian was ‘killed by the woke mind virus’ (Marc Piasecki/Getty Images)
Billionaire Elon Musk has claimed that he was ‘tricked’ into allowing his trans child, Vivian Jenna Wilson, to take puberty blockers.
Speaking to right-wing commentator Jordan Peterson for the Daily Wire on Monday (22 July), Musk said his daughter Vivian, who no longer speaks to him, had been “killed [by the] woke mind virus”, and that those promoting gender-affirming care should face jail sentences.
Misgendering his daughter throughout the interview, the tech mogul added: “I was essentially tricked into signing documents for one of my older boys… I was told [Vivian] might commit suicide. It’s incredibly evil… the people promoting this should go to prison.
“It wasn’t explained to me that puberty blockers are actually sterilisation drugs. I lost my son, essentially.
“They call it deadnaming for a reason, the reason is your son is dead. My son is dead, killed by the woke mind virus. I vowed to destroy the woke mind virus after that.”
This is not the first time the Tesla chief executive has voiced his opposition to the trans community. Last week, he announced plans to move the headquarters of X and SpaceX out of California because of a new trans protection law.
The new legislation stops school districts forcing educators to disclose a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation to any other person without the child’s permission, with some exceptions.
The reality of puberty blockers
Within the three-minute clip, Musk said a lot about puberty blockers and the impact they have on young people. But were his claims true?
He described gender-affirming care, as “permanent action” taken when a child is “10, 12, 14 years old”. However, puberty blockers have been found to be safe and reversible. Cisgender children can also be prescribed them if they begin to go through puberty at a very young age.
Musk also claimed that transgender children “subsequently greatly regret” transitioning at a young age. This statement is also untrue, with just one per cent of trans teenagers going on to detranstition later in life.
And, despite him labelling them “sterilisation drugs”, medical research has found that puberty blockers are reversible, and they shouldn’t affect the ability to have children. The British Medical Journal says: “Fertility returns when they are discontinued.”
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