--- title: "Elon Musk Rages as NASA Astronaut Calls Out His Transphobia and Conspiracy Theories" description: "Space Fight You would think that, between the many companies he's founded and the changes he's making to the social media platform he recently acquired, that Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter CEO Elon Musk might have something better to do than write and publish transphobic jokes about prosecuting former US chief Anthony Fauci, but apparently he […]" date: "2022-12-13" modified: "2022-12-13" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-nasa-astronaut-transphobia-conspiracy-theories" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "NASA" - "Space" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "Scott Kelly" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # Elon Musk Rages as NASA Astronaut Calls Out His Transphobia and Conspiracy Theories ![Who better than to call Elon Musk out on extremely gross, transphobic behavior than fellow Space Dude and Outspoken Guy, former US astronaut Scott Kelly?]() *NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 02: (L-R) Elon Musk, Mayor Eric Adams and Tracey Collins attend the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Sinna Nasseri/Getty Images) \Image: Getty Images\* ## Space Fight You would think that, between the many companies he's founded and the [numerous]() [changes]() he's making to the social media platform he recently acquired, that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk might have something better to do than publish transphobic jokes about prosecuting former US chief Anthony Fauci. Unfortunately, you would be wrong. "My pronouns," Musk tweeted, early Sunday morning, "are Prosecute/Fauci." Transphobia and COVID denialism all in one — extremely gross behavior! And who better than to call Musk out on his extremely gross behavior than fellow Space Dude and Outspoken Guy, former US astronaut Scott Kelly. Kelly, whose twin brother Mark — also a former NASA astronaut — just [won a Senate seat in Arizona](), quickly jumped to the defense of the trans community, as well as Fauci. "Elon, please don’t mock and promote hate toward already marginalized and at-risk-of-violence members of the LGBTQ+ community," [Kelly retorted](). "They are real people with real feelings." "Furthermore," he added, "Dr. Fauci is a dedicated public servant whose sole motivation was saving lives." ## Opinion Haver Musk, ever vindictive, didn't take kindly to Kelly's response, doubling down on his anti-pronoun rage. "I strongly disagree," the billionaire [wrote back](). "Forcing your pronouns upon others when they didn't ask, and implicitly ostracizing those who don't, is neither good nor kind to anyone." "As for Fauci, he lied to Congress and funded gain-of-function research that killed millions of people," Musk continued, however offered no evidence for his claims. "Not awesome imo." ## Elon Optimism Kelly has historically been a Musk defender, often expressing appreciation for Musk's contributions to engineering and spaceflight. It's an admiration that he even [recently reiterate]()d to Futurism, offering that "Elon is an incredibly gifted person in certain areas." But key words there being "certain areas," and Musk — who, it's worth noting, [has a trans daughter]() — plumbed new depths this weekend. Kelly, a widely respected and wildly famous figure in his and Musk's shared field of spaceflight, felt the need to speak out. "Sometimes people call me Mark, I feel obligated to correct them," Kelly reportedly [told *NBC*](), referring to his brother. "If people referred to me as she/her I would feel obligated to correct them as well." "As a science minded person," he added, "I feel obligated to defend science." **READ MORE:** *[Elon Musk, astronaut Scott Kelly spar on Twitter over pronoun use]()* \[*NBC News*\] **More on Scott Kelly:** [*Retired NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly Dishes on Ukraine, Russia, and Moon Mission*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()