Elon Musk slams transgender therapy for minors

Elon Musk has said that doctors or parents who approve or conduct sex-change surgeries on minors should be jailed for life. 

The billionaire Twitter and Tesla boss tweeted: 'Any parent or doctor who sterilizes a child before they are a consenting adult should go to prison for life.'  

His comment came in response to discussion about new rules approved by medical boards in Florida banning gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers for kids under 18.

Musk's transgender daughter said last year she wanted nothing to do with him after she was granted a legal request to change her name and gender identity when she turned 18. 

Vivian Jenna Wilson's petition, which was filed in April, was approved by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge in June.

Musk took to Twitter to express his views on trans medical care for minors

Tesla head Elon Musk talks to the press as he arrives to to have a look at the construction site of the new Tesla Gigafactory near Berlin on September 3, 2020 near Gruenheide, Germany

Musk's daughter Vivian legally changed her name last year 

Wilson asked the court to change her name to agree with her gender identity and said: 'I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.'

Wilson, who has a twin named Griffin and was formerly named Xavier Alexander Musk, officially adopted her mother, Justine's, maiden name. 

Justine Wilson divorced Musk in 2008 after 8 years of marriage. They also had triplet boys named Damian, Kai and Saxon, and a son named Nevada who was born in 2002 and died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) at 10 weeks.

Musk's latest comments came in reaction to a tweet referencing changes made by Florida's medical boards to block access to puberty blockers and hormone therapies to minors under the age of 18 who have gender dysphoria.

Under the encouragement of Governor Ron DeSantis, the state's Board of Medicine and Board of Osteopathic Medicine both passed rules to also ban surgical procedures for under-18s. 

Board members said the decision was made based on the irreversibility of the drugs and the growing number of people choosing to 'de-transition'.

DeSantis has long been critical of the use of medical treatments in trans children, previously saying doctors who operate on children 'need to get sued'. 

Florida is one of a growing number of states who are restricting trans care for teens. 

In February, South Dakota passed the 'Help Not Harm' bill  making it illegal to carry out gender-affirming surgery on youngsters under 18 years old. 

Musk and Justine Wilson, mother of his five teenagers, are pictured in an undated photo. The pair were together from 2000 to 2008

Vivian and Elon welcomed twins Griffin and Vivian (pictured with Elon and his second wife, Talulah Riley, left in 2010 and right in 2015) in 2004, and triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian, now 15, in 2006; all five of the children were conceived via IVF

The father of 10 has a history of making controversial comments about trans people, declaring in 2020 that 'pronouns suck' and adding: 'I absolutely support trans, but all these pronouns are an esthetic nightmare.'

In response to the SpaceX founder's latest tweet, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz said: 'Why is this a controversial statement?'

President Joe Biden has criticized DeSantis for his stance against trans care for teens. 

The president has said that it is 'close to sinful' for states to block minors’ access to medical treatments and procedures.

DeSantis responded: 'It is not "sinful" to prohibit the mutilation of minors. It is not acceptable for the federal government to mandate that procedures like sex change operations be allowed for kids.'

In October last year Musk has blamed America's colleges for turning his daughter Vivian against him.

In an interview with the Financial Times, he blamed 'neo-Marxists' in elite schools and universities for the estrangement between him and his daughter.

He added: 'It's full-on communism... and a general sentiment that if you're rich, you're evil.'

Musk appeared to shrug off having a relationship with Vivian by saying: 'It may change, but I have very good relationships with all the others. Can't win them all.' 

The Tesla CEO also has two children with singer Grimes, but the couple split three months after welcoming their second child.

Grimes, 34, was then allegedly dating WikiLeaks whistle-blower Chelsea Manning but the pair reportedly recently split after just four months together.

Manning, who is transgender, released information about WikiLeaks and spent seven years in military prison before her 35-year sentence was commuted by former president Barack Obama.  

Manning previously said of Musk: 'The one thing I will say is: he around that time definitely seemed transphobic, and rumor or speculation aside, that’s off-limits. I’m going to respond to it. Any transphobia in a transphobic environment is not OK.'