Elon Musk's Child Files To Change Gender, Name To End Relationship With Father
By Kristin Myers on June 20, 2022 at 4:14 PM EDT
Updated on June 21, 2022 at 10:07 PM EDT
The child of billionaire Elon Musk is completely changing her identity to distance herself from her father.
Xavier Alexander Musk, who has a twin named Griffin, turned 18 back in April. Almost immediately after her birthday, she filed a petition with the courthouse to change her name as she embraces her new identity as Vivian.
The Blast obtained the documents from the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County at the time of their release but did not publish the documents right away to give Vivian time to come out on her own. However, the documents started making their way around Twitter on Saturday night, just ahead of Father's Day. Her hearing is scheduled for this Friday.
Vivian Musk Files To Change Name, Gender After 18th Birthday
One of Musk's children is requesting to change her name to Vivian Jenna Wilson. She is also asking for the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County to recognize her gender as female. The petition was filed on Monday, April 18.
Vivian listed the reason for the name change as not wanting to be associated with her biological father. In the court docs, she gave the following reason for her name change: "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."
Elon Musk married Canadian author Justine Wilson in January 2000. In 2002, they welcomed their son Nevada Alexander Musk. Sadly, Nevada died of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, at only ten weeks old.
Musk and Wilson turned to IVF, and, in April 2004, Wilson gave birth to two twin sons: Griffin and Xavier. They both just turned 18 back in April.
The former couple also used IVF to welcome triplet sons two years later. Their names were Kai, Saxon, and Damian. All three boys are now 16. Two years later, in 2008, the pair filed for divorce. They still share custody of their five children.
However, Vivian claims that part of the reason that she wants to change her name is to distance herself from her biological father, who has been accused of having transphobic views over the past several years.
Elon Musk Has Been Criticized For Being Transphobic In The Past
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 14, 2020
CNBC had previously called on Elon Musk to apologize for his transphobic views. In one July 2020 tweet, Musk tweeted “pronouns suck,” but deleted the tweet after his then-partner, Canadian musician Grimes, confronted him about the tweet.
A few months later, in a series of tweets dated December 2020, the Tesla CEO reportedly mocked people who listed their pronouns in their online bios.
I absolutely support trans, but all these pronouns are an esthetic nightmare
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 16, 2020
Musk’s tweet read “when you put he/him in ur bio” alongside a cartoonish picture of a soldier rubbing his bloody hands on his face. The soldier is wearing a hat that says “I love to oppress.”
After Musk was criticized for the tweet, he defended himself by tweeting, “I absolutely support trans, but all these pronouns are an esthetic nightmare.” He then tweeted out that Tesla had the number one ranking on the Corporate Equality Index, which is an annual list of the best places for LGBTQ people to work.
Oh and umm … https://t.co/jtg944ERCy
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 16, 2020
The Human Rights Campaign, a charitable organization that tries to provide equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, called on Musk to apologize.
Human Rights Campaign Asks Elon Musk To Apologize For His Offensive Comments
The HRC shared a statement with CNBC, calling on the SpaceX founder to apologize for mocking the use of pronouns.
“The Corporate Equality Index (CEI) is a comprehensive measurement of workplace non-discrimination policies, practices, and benefits critical to the full protection and inclusion of LGBTQ workers,” they wrote. “Tesla scored a 100 on the 2020 CEI based on this crucial foundation of inclusive non-discrimination policies and benefits.”
“No benchmarking tool can fully account for the day-to-day experiences of LGBTQ workers. The CEI criteria alone are necessary foundations for LGBTQ inclusion but do not represent the entirety of what it takes to ensure a fully inclusive and welcoming environment,” they continued. “The CEI is not a cover for poor personal behavior, and HRC condemns Musk’s tweets mocking pronouns.”
They concluded their statement, saying, “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 Blast has reached out to Vivian Jenna Wilson for comment. Neither Elon Musk nor Justine Wilson, Vivian's parents, have yet to provide public comment on Vivian's name and gender change.