Topics: Elon Musk, Mental Health, Parenting, Threads, Twitter, Health, Technology
Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ - and specifically trans - community which some readers may find distressing.
Vivian Jenna Wilson, daughter of Elon Musk, has hit back at her father's claims he was 'tricked' into allowing her to have gender-affirming care, opening up about her childhood with him.
One Elon Musk's 12 children, Vivian Jenna Wilson, legally filed to change her name and gender in 2022 - when she turned 18 - alongside denouncing her relationship from Musk.
And in a livestream posted to Twitter on Monday (22 July), Musk sat down with clinical psychologist and conservative commentator Dr Jordan B Peterson and claiming he'd been 'tricked' into allowing Wilson to undergo transgender-related medical care when she was 16. However, Wilson has since branded this a 'lie'.
Advert
In his livestream with Dr Peterson, Musk was asked about his attitude towards gender-affirming care and swiftly agreed with Dr Peterson's statement that he believes 'everyone who's been involved in this [gender-affirming care] in relationship to minors should go to prison'.
"Going back to the so-called gender-affirming care which is a terrible euphemism, it's really a child sterilisation," Musk continued. "[...] It's child mutilation [...] it's evil. I think it's evil."
Musk continued by noting 'it happened to one of [his] older boys,' saying he 'lost [his] son' before proceeding to deadname Wilson.
Musk alleged he'd been 'essentially tricked into signing documents' to allow Wilson to received certain transgender-related medical treatment when she was 16, claiming he signed the documents 'before [he] had any understanding of what was going on', and that he was 'told [Wilson] may commit suicide'.
Musk resolved: "My son is dead. Killed by the woke mind virus. [...] So I vowed to destroy the woke mind virus after that, and we’re making some progress."
Musk also took to Twitter later that same day, in a since-deleted post to claim Wilson was 'born gay and slightly autistic', which he said are 'two attributes that contribute to gender dysphoria'.
And Wilson has since responded to Musk's comments.
Despite previously staying out of public view, Wilson told NBC News she couldn't just let Musk's comments go.
"I think he was under the assumption that I wasn’t going to say anything and I would just let this go unchallenged. 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," she explained.
Wilson refutes Musk's claims he was 'tricked' into signing the documents to allow her to receive gender-affirming medical care at the age of 16, alleging her father read the documents at least twice.
"He was not by any means tricked. He knew the full side effects," she added, noting the puberty blockers and hormone-replacement therapy helps 'save lives' and 'definitely allowed [her] to thrive'.
Wilson added she thinks it's 'absolutely mind-boggling' she's 'put into a point where, to a group of people, [she has] to basically prove whether or not [she] was suicidal or not to warrant medically transitioning'.
She also spoke out about what it was like growing up with Musk as a father, despite him only being around 'maybe 10 percent of the time', and even that being 'generous'.
Wilson claims when Musk was around he was 'cold' and 'very quick to anger'. "He is uncaring and a narcissist," she added.
Wilson exemplified with an alleged incident, which took place between her and her father when they went on a road trip when she was in fourth grade.
Wilson says she 'didn't know' at the time but the 'road trip' was 'actually just an advertisement for one of the cars'. During the journey, Musk was 'constantly' and 'viciously yelling' at her 'because [her] voice was too high'.
Wilson also took to rival Twitter platform Threads to unpick her father's tweet about her, branding his claims she was born 'slightly autistic' as 'entirely fake'.
She said his supposed memory of her being four and picking out clothes for him to wear 'never happened', and he 'went to the Milo Yiannopoulis school of gay stereotypes' and 'just picked some at random' in a 'last-ditch attempt to garner sympathy points'.
Wilson said: "This entire thing is completely made up and there's a reason for this. He does not know what I was like as a child because he quite simply wasn't there, and in the little time that he was I was relentlessly harassed for my femininity and queerness."
She resolved: "As for if I'm not a woman... Sure, Jan. Whatever you say. I'm legally recognized as a woman in the state of California and I don't concern myself with the opinion of those who are below me."
UNILAD has reached out to Elon Musk for comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT national hotline at 888-843-4564, available Monday to Friday 4pm-12am ET and 12pm-5pm ET on Saturdays.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741
