Elon Musk, the owner of X and Tesla CEO, has attributed the deterioration of his relationship with his transgender daughter to her progressive school, as revealed in an excerpt from an upcoming biography published in The Wall Street Journal.
Musk’s daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, legally changed her name to reflect her gender identity in 2022.
However, she did not inform her father about her transition.
According to the author of the biography, Walter Isaacson, Musk learned about his daughter’s transition through someone else.
In a text message to Musk’s sister-in-law, Jenna shared her new name and asked her not to inform her father.
Isaacson states that when Musk found out about his daughter being transgender, he was generally accepting.
However, their relationship soured after Jenna became an ardent Marxist.
In her request to change her name, Jenna expressed her desire to sever all ties with her biological father, stating that she no longer wished to be related to him in any way.
According to Isaacson, Musk claims that Jenna cut off communication and relations with him when she transitioned from socialism to full communism and developed a belief that all wealthy individuals are evil.
The rift between them has deeply affected Musk, second only to the loss of his first child.
Despite Musk’s attempts to reconcile with his daughter, she has shown no interest in repairing their relationship.
Isaacson suggests that Musk’s strained relationship with his daughter has contributed to his adoption of what is commonly referred to as “anti-woke sentiments.”
Musk frequently expresses concerns about the perceived dangers of the “woke mind virus,” which he believes is antithetical to science, meritocracy, and humanity as a whole.
According to Musk, unless this mindset is stopped, civilization will never achieve multiplanetary status.
Musk also attributes his daughter’s ideology and decision to cut him out of her life to her attendance at Crossroads, a progressive school in Los Angeles.
Musk believes that the school, much like Twitter, has been influenced by a similar mindset that suppresses right-wing and anti-establishment voices.
Interestingly, a study conducted in 2022 by Sandra González-Bailón, a researcher from the University of Pennsylvania, found that X (formerly known as Twitter) actually provides more visibility to individuals with conservative ideologies than those expressing progressive views.
In December 2022, shortly after Musk acquired X, he suspended the accounts of several high-profile journalists, citing new Twitter rules prohibiting the tracking of private jets, including his own.
Despite blaming his daughter’s school for their strained relationship, Musk has posted anti-trans content on X, despite Jenna’s gender identity.
In June 2023, Musk shared an anti-trans video on X and later tweeted his disapproval of severe and irreversible changes being made to children before they reach the age of consent.
This tweet drew support from Jordan Peterson, a right-wing commentator, who advocated for severe punishments for those involved in such practices.
It is worth noting that while critics argue that gender-affirming care harms children, leading medical organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics affirm its safety, emphasizing that surgical interventions are rare and that this form of care reduces the risk of suicide and suicidal ideation among young people.