Washington: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made an alarming statement recently when he said the "woke mind virus" figuratively "killed" his son Xavier. In an interview with Dr Jordan Peterson on Monday, Musk said he was "tricked" into agreeing to gender-affirming care procedures for his son, calling them "child mutilation and sterilisation".
Musk said that his experience with his child Xavier, who now goes by Vivian Jenna Wilson, opened his eyes to the "woke mind virus", which he and Peterson both agreed as "evil". "It happened to one of my older boys, where I was essentially tricked into signing documents for one of my older boys, Xavier. This is before I had any understanding of what was going on. COVID was going on, so there was a lot of confusion and I was told Xavier might commit suicide if he doesn't," he told Peterson in a DailyWire interview.
The owner of social media platform X said the process is done to children "who are far below the age of consent" and agreed with Peterson that anyone who promotes the practice should go to prison. "I was tricked into doing this. I lost my son, essentially. They call it 'deadnaming' for a reason. The reason they call it ‘deadnaming’ is because your son is dead," he said.
Vivian Musk came out as transgender in June 2022 at the age of 18. She also filed a request to change her name from Xavier to Vivian and take her mother's last name, saying that she no longer wanted to be "related to my biological father in any way, shape or form," according to Fox News. Wilson's mother is Justine Wilson, a Canadian author who divorced Musk in 2008.
What is the 'woke mind virus'?
Although the exact meaning of the term "woke mind virus" remains ambiguous, it is generally meant to be what critics perceive as "overly progressive" or "woke" practices that negatively influence society and media. Musk previously criticised the "woke mind virus" in 2021, calling it "arguably one of the greatest threats to modern civilisation".
Since buying Twitter in 2022, Musk has promised to restore "free speech" on the platform and has increased his conservative political commentary since the purchase. His criticism against "woke practices" include gender-affirming care, which refers to a range of services for transgender and non-binary people to help them navigate their gender identity. Critics argue this pertains to child abuse.
Musk also spoke about 'deadnaming', which means the act of referring to a transgender or a non-binary person by a name they used before transitioning. It is deemed harmful to transgenders and is believed to lead to harassment and discrimination. "I vowed to destroy the woke mind virus after that," Musk said on his child's transitioning.
Musk moves SpaceX, X headquarters over gender laws
Last week, Musk said he is moving the headquarters of two more of his companies - social media platform X and rocket company SpaceX - to Texas from California, citing a new gender-identity law there as the "last straw." A new California law that forbids school districts from requiring teachers to notify parents when a child changes gender identity or sexual orientation helped spur the announcement, Musk said.
"Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies," Musk said. The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla in recent years has become outspoken on politics and often criticises the Biden administration and Democrats' positions on issues including transgender rights and immigration.
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