Elon Musk has spoken out against sex change surgeries, claiming they pose serious risks to mental health. The Tesla CEO’s remarks came in response to a study, which claimed people who underwent gender-affirming surgeries faced higher rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and substance use disorders compared to those who did not undergo such procedures.
Reposting the findings on X (formerly Twitter), Musk wrote, “Sex change surgery severely harms mental health.”
Sex change surgery severely harms mental health https://t.co/Dh8hwuIAcB
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2025
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Texas, was published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Musk, the most influential figure in the Trump administration, has been vocal about his opposition to sex change surgeries. His views on the subject have drawn attention due to his estranged relationship with his transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson.
In 2024, Wilson gave an exclusive interview to NBC News, accusing Musk of being an absentee father and claiming he was cruel to her during her childhood due to her queer identity.
Before Wilson’s interview, Musk addressed his feelings about her during a discussion with psychologist and conservative commentator Jordan Peterson. Expressing his discontent, he said, “I lost my son, essentially,” referring to Wilson by her birth name, a practice considered offensive in the transgender community.
He added that Wilson had been “dead, killed by the woke mind virus.”
Musk also said she was “not a girl” and was figuratively “dead,”, alleging he had been “tricked” into authorising her trans-related medical treatment.
During the NBC interview, Wilson responded to Musk’s assertions, denying he had been deceived into approving her medical treatment. She said that while he initially hesitated, he eventually consented.
Musk’s anti-trans stance has not been limited to personal experiences. Recently, he drew attention to the closure of Mitr Clinic, India’s first transgender healthcare centre in Hyderabad. The facility was forced to shut down after its funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was paused. This came after President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) targeted USAID, halting the agency’s operations around the world.
Reacting to the clinic’s closure, Musk shared a post on X and wrote, “That’s what American tax dollars were funding.”
That’s what American tax dollars were funding https://t.co/E4IQSoj9NV
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2025
In the past, Musk also made a high-profile decision to relocate the headquarters of both SpaceX and X businesses from California, citing opposition to the state’s transgender policies.