CuriositiesJUN 22, 2022

People React To Elon Musk's Daughter Disowning Him And Changing Her Name

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"Gender identity and the fact that I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form," stated one of billionaire Elon Musk’s children as the official reason in a petition for a name change, recognition of change of gender, and issuance of a new birth certificate.

Back in April, the 18-year-old teenager made the filing with a Santa Monica court shortly after her birthday. The daughter of Musk and Canadian author Justine Wilson, who were married from 2000 to 2008, decided to legally change her name to Vivian Jenna Wilson, taking her mother’s former surname and coming out as a trans woman. Although a couple of months have passed since she made the initial request to sever all ties with her father, the news was first reported by TMZ over the weekend.

The internet has been overflowing with reactions and discussions about this whole situation. Twitter users wasted no time in typing out spot-on insights about Musk’s recent transphobic comments and offering an outpouring of support to Vivian, whose hearing on the name change is set for Friday. Continue scrolling to find out how the whole ordeal unfolded and be sure to share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

In April, Elon Musk's daughter filed to change her name to reflect her gender identity, revealing she identifies as a trans woman

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She is changing her name to Vivian Jenna Wilson, taking the maiden name of her mother Justine Musk

Image credits: KnowNothingTV

The official document was shared online, stating the reason for the petition

Image credits: KnowNothingTV

Vivian’s mom was very supportive of her daughter’s decision

Image credits: justinemusk

The young woman requested the court to change her gender recognition from male to female and register her new name a day after turning 18, the age of consent in California. She is one of five children the business tycoon shares with his first wife Justine, and in addition to that, he also has two kids with musician Grimes.

While neither Musk nor Vivian has publicly discussed their apparent dispute, her mother said in a tweet on Monday she is proud of her daughter. Although Wilson didn’t specify which twin she had the conversation with, the post followed right after the news about Vivian’s petition started circulating online. She seems very supportive of her daughter and this new step she was brave enough to take, revealing a sweet conversation they had about her turning out so "normal-seeming."

In 2010, his first wife Justine wrote a scathing essay for Marie Claire about their marriage. "He had grown up in the male-dominated culture of South Africa, and the will to compete and dominate that made him so successful in business did not magically shut off when he came home."

"This, and the vast economic imbalance between us, meant that in the months following our wedding, a certain dynamic began to take hold," she continued. "Elon's judgment overruled mine, and he was constantly remarking on the ways he found me lacking. 'I am your wife,' I told him repeatedly, 'not your employee.' 'If you were my employee,' he said just as often, 'I would fire you.'"

While Musk is yet to comment, he has tweeted some transphobic comments in the recent past

Image credits: elonmusk

Image credits: elonmusk

Over the years, the 50-year-old Tesla and SpaceX founder has accumulated quite a reputation for his edgy takes on Twitter. This led to some people pointing out that such behavior might have influenced his daughter to disown him as a parent.

Musk, a self-described "free speech absolutist," has been criticized for some of his statements on Twitter regarding gender identity issues. He came under fire in 2020 for tweeting that "pronouns suck." The now-deleted tweet prompted his partner at that time, Grimes, to reply to him minutes later: "I love you but please turn off ur phone or give me a [c]all," Grimes wrote. "I cannot support hate. Please stop this. I know this isn't your heart."

In December 2020, Musk posted a tweet with an image that said, "when you put he/him in your bio". It appeared to be a dramatic drawing of an 18th-century soldier smearing blood on his face and wearing a hat that read "I love to oppress." People started calling him out for showing a lack of respect and having issues with people declaring pronouns. In response to criticism of that tweet, Musk insisted on Twitter later on: "I absolutely support trans, but all these pronouns are an [a]esthetic nightmare."

Then, he pointed out that Tesla scored a 100% rating on the Corporate Equality Index, an annual list put together by the Human Rights Campaign to find out the best places for LGBTQ people to work.

"Musk’s insensitive comments stand completely contrary to what HRC’s Workplace Equality Program works with companies each day to create — providing employees a safe, inclusive, and fair work environment," the group told CNBC.

The organization’s President Alphonso David added, "Elon Musk’s tweet mocking pronouns is exactly the opposite of what inclusive leadership looks like today. It’s also decidedly out of step with the best practices we advise companies." He also said, "Musk should apologize."

People started calling out Musk for his transphobia, here’s what they had to say

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Reuters reported that about a month after Vivian filed the name and gender change documents, Musk declared his support for the Republican Party, which has endorsed legislation that attempts to limit the rights of the transgender community in some US states. "I have voted overwhelmingly for Democrats, historically," Musk said. "Like I’m not sure, I might never have voted for a Republican, just to be clear. Now this election I will."

Many media outlets have noticed how the SpaceX and Tesla CEO and his recent public embrace of the Republican Party (and let’s not forget the scoffing at pronouns and transgender people online) give an idea that Musk is not too concerned with transgender rights. Twitter users are also pointing that out in reaction to Vivian’s official reason written in the petition.

Elon has not yet commented on Vivian’s request to change her name, but on Sunday he created a post in honor of Father’s Day that said, "I love all my kids so much."