Billionaire Elon Musk has opened up about his son’s transgenderism and said he was “tricked” into supporting his transition. Mr. Musk has a tumultuous relationship with his 20-year-old son, who transitioned into Vivian Jenna Wilson in 2022. The Twitter owner told Jordan Peterson that he lost his son in a move he only supported because he believed his child would otherwise commit suicide. Musk explained that his relationship with Xavier was already strained by his son’s political views, which he described as “communist.”
The South African businessman has 12 children with three women, including one with Shivon Zilis, a former employee, who was born early in 2024. He told the controversial Canadian psychiatrist that he believes those who pressure individuals into gender transition should go to prison and explained that he did not initially realize that “puberty blockers are actually just sterilization drugs.”
Musk has recently publicly declared his intention to donate $45 million per month to Donald Trump’s campaign. The former President has pledged to reverse President Biden’s Title IX expansion and prevent federally-funded schools from allowing transgender students to choose which bathrooms or locker rooms they use. Mr. Trump has furthermore promised to investigate the medical industry and accusations that it has “covered up horrific long-term side effects” of gender transition drugs.
Nevertheless, according to polling, most Americans do not feel as strongly about the issue as Musk or Trump. Pew Research finds that just 8% of voters pay close attention to some state efforts to regulate or prevent gender transition in young people. It also finds that 64% believe transgendered individuals should be legally protected from discrimination. However, 58% think trans athletes should compete in contests that match their biological sex.
Additionally, 46% oppose medical and surgical treatment for those aged under 18, and 41% oppose people’s ability to use the bathrooms intended for the opposite gender. The same number supports laws prohibiting schools from teaching about so-called gender identity.
