--- title: "Oh, Great, Elon Musk Has Entered the Trans Kids “Debate” Chat" description: "Elon Musk has offered a take that nobody asked for on the bad-faith \"debate\" regarding trans children and their access to gender-affirming healthcare." date: "2023-03-18" modified: "2023-03-18" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/elon-musk-trans-debate" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "hormone replacement therapy" - "trans rights" - "transgender" --- # Oh, Great, Elon Musk Has Entered the Trans Kids “Debate” Chat ![]() *\Image: NurPhoto via Getty / Futurism\* Elon Musk just offered a take nobody asked for, on the bad-faith "debate" regarding transgender children and access to medical care — though of course, it's not the first time the Twitter owner has waded into trans reactionary rhetoric. Responding, for some reason, to a [video of Minnesota's lieutenant governor]() coming out in favor of trans kids' access to affirmative healthcare, Musk — who, lest we forget, has an [estranged trans child]() of his own — echoed the invective spewed by [transphobic fanaticists]() and the [*New York Times*]() alike. "When our children tell us who they are, it is our job as grown-ups to listen and to believe them," MN's Lt. Governor, Peggy Flanagan, said in the clip. "That's what it means to be a good parent." "Not when they’re fed propaganda by adults," [Musk said in response]() nearly a week after the initial post. "Moreover, every child goes through an identity crisis before their personality/identity crystallizes. Therefore, we shouldn’t allow severe, irreversible surgery or sterilizing drugs that they may regret until at least age 18." We shouldn't have to break down why the Tesla CEO's mealy-mouthed take is flatly wrong, but in the interest of public service journalism, we'll note that every aspect of his response, from the[fact that he's been sock-puppeted propaganda]()to the [patent misinformation]() regarding children getting surgery or being given "[sterilizing]()" drugs, is, as we mentioned before, lacking. To say the least. Again: Musk himself is father to a trans kid— his daughter, who last summer, along with changing her name and her gender marker, said she "no longer live\[s\] with or wish\[es\] to be related to my biological father in any shape or form." While we can't know his daughter's precise reasons for wishing to distance herself in such a bold manner, it's not unreasonable to imagine this all might hold a clue. That's to say nothing of what else Musk has opined on trans people — one example of which happened when a trans woman just so happened to be embroiled in drama with him. Indeed, almost exactly a year ago and just a few days after news leaked that his ex/baby mama Claire "Grimes" Boucher [was dating]() government leaker and [trans girl DJ extraordinaire]() Chelsea Manning, [Musk posted a "Wojack" meme]() meant to mock fair-weather activists for "support\[ing\] the current thing," and one of those "things" included, per a flag shown in the background of the image macro, a transgender pride flag. Two years prior, [Grimes publicly called Musk out]() on Twitter while the pair were still dating after he tweeted, apropos to nothing, that he thinks "pronouns suck." "I love you but please turn off ur phone or give me a dall \[sic\]," the electronic artist responded to her then-boyfriend in a since-deleted tweet. "I cannot support hate. Please stop this. I know this isn’t your heart." Given what he's said and done since that 2020 exchange, it appears clear that Grimes was wrong about Musk's "heart" — and that the owner of Twitter has, it seems, come out in support of restricting the rights of children (and, likely, adults). Whether or not his politics inform the way speech about this issue continues on one of the largest social media platforms in the world **is, at this point, anyone's guess.** **More on Elon's bigotry:** [*Elon Musk Finally Relents and Apologizes for Mocking Disabled Twitter Ex-Employee*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()