Elon Musk, the billionaire tech mogul who whined about the Oscars turning “woke” and removed protections on his social media platform against targeted misgendering, says his 20-year-old trans child is “dead” — because she transitioned from male to female.
Musk shared the transphobic remark on Monday’s episode of “The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast” and claimed he was “tricked” into signing off on gender-affirming care for Vivian Jenna Wilson, who changed her legal name in 2022.
“I was essentially tricked into signing documents for one of my older boys, Xavier,” he said Monday. “This was before I had really any understanding of what was going on and we had COVID going on, so there was a lot of confusion. I was told Xavier might commit suicide.”
“It wasn’t explained to me that puberty blockers are actually just sterilization drugs,” Musk continued. “Anyway, so I lost my son, essentially. You know, they call it deadnaming for a reason. The reason it’s called deadnaming is because your son is dead.”
It’s important to note that puberty blockers are not sterilization drugs. According to the Mayo Clinic, “GnRH analogues don’t cause permanent physical changes. Instead, they pause puberty. That offers a chance to explore gender identity.”
And while there are no federal laws against deadnaming, or using a person’s original name after they’ve transitioned, local and state legislatures have been moving in that direction. Twitter itself, now X, considered it a form of harassment until Musk bought the platform, when the policy was quietly changed. Musk revived it in March after a flurry of advertisers left the platform following his many controversial changes.
“So my son Xavier is dead,” he told Peterson. “Killed by the woke mind virus.”
Peterson shared his condolences despite Wilson not actually being dead and baselessly dismissed gender dysphoria as a cause for her alleged suicidal ideations. Without ever having met her, Peterson argued she transitioned due to supposed “depression” instead.
According to the American Psychological Association, meanwhile, actual experts have found that numerous factors lead people to transition — including “genetic influences and prenatal hormone levels, early experiences and experiences later in adolescence.” The APA also backs gender-affirming care for trans and nonbinary children, teens and adults.
Peterson, a Canadian psychologist and former university professor who was previously investigated for making transphobic remarks in his lectures, has since stopped teaching and signed a content distribution deal with conservative media outlet The Daily Wire.
Ebrahim Noroozi/Associated Press
The newfound podcaster told Musk on Monday that gender transitions have “demolished” children, despite research showing that LGBTQ youths who report high levels of parental rejection being eight times more likely to attempt suicide.
Musk agreed with Peterson and said gender-affirming care is so “evil” that “people that have been promoting this should go to prison.” He also revealed having “vowed to destroy the woke mind virus” after Wilson’s transition — and said “we’re making some progress.”
GLAAD argued in December that Musk is a proven “far-right hate-driven extremist” and cited his “extensive anti-LGBTQ posts and anti-trans comments” to warn advertisers about his “worrying” policy decisions at X.
The organization also called out Peterson at the time for “viciously” misgendering actor Elliot Page “dozens of times in the course of a 15-minute rant” in one of his videos — and said the “far-right ideologue” has flourished since Musk acquired the platform.
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.