Elon Musk was once a hero to me. Like many other people, I viewed him as a renegade — a businessman who had overcome a bit of personal adversity to build one of the most successful car companies in the world, and be a pioneer in his field. Today, Tesla stock is worth $706, but it has peaked at $1,229, and it is ever more common to find Musk’s electric cars dotting the streets of major cities and townships. Teslas seem to be the future.
Despite his success, Musk has consistently shown disdain toward transgender people, and even hatred toward our community. Just last month, Musk’s teenage daughter, who is a transgender woman, sought separation from her father, claiming he is hateful toward her and does not support her trans identity. His daughter has masked her new name in court documents, but was formerly known as Xavier.
It’s ironic that Musk is attacking our vulnerable community. Musk was bullied relentlessly as a child. In South Africa, he was bullied so badly that he had to be hospitalized from wounds inflicted by his classmates. Musk was seen as a strange kid — one who was quiet and introverted, probably very smart, but also full of quirks that made him a target of bullies.
Musk has stood up for alternative lifestyles and communities. He has given his children unique names. One of them was called “X AE A-XII”, and in shorthand just known as “X.” He has said that traditional schools are “useless” and has preferred to homeschool his children. At one point, Musk lived in a $50,000 home, despite being a billionaire. He has smoked weed on the Joe Rogan podcast and has shared his views for a government on Mars.
Yet despite having been bullied for his quirks, Musk has still found time to be a bully to the trans community. He has mocked pronouns on Twitter, after his ex-girlfriend Grimes started dating transgender woman Chelsea Manning. Furthermore, Musk has recently signaled support for Ron DeSantis, the anti-trans governor of Florida. DeSantis wants to ban transition health care for all trans youth and prevent them from playing sports.
Musk’s daughter’s estrangement from her father is likely a symptom of Musk’s own transphobia.
Unfortunately, many in corporate America will still laud the Tesla CEO for his accomplishments. The rise and existence of the “Musk tech bro” or “Musk finance bro” —euphemisms for young men who idolize Musk’s intelligent chaos — will not go away. This is in the same fashion that many still idolize Joe Rogan, who goes on aggressive rants against trans women in his podcast.
It is clear that the future does not lie with Elon Musk. If he continues his spiteful approach to the trans community, then his legacy will be tainted permanently. It’s in the hands of young Americans to reject the urge to idolize him.
Isaac Amend (he/him/his) is a transgender man and young professional in the D.C. area. He was featured on National Geographic’s ‘Gender Revolution’ in 2017 as a student at Yale University. Amend is also on the board of the LGBT Democrats of Virginia. Find him on Instagram isaacamend
