Elon Musk is probably pretty high up on the list of men you would not want as your father, so it’s unsurprising that Musk’s 18-year-old daughter has applied to legally change her name to Vivian Jenna Wilson because she no longer wants to “live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form”.
Wilson’s mother is Musk’s ex-wife and author, Justine Wilson.
It’s likely Wilson – who is trans – is also seeking to cut ties with her father given his support for the Republican Party, which continues to support legislation to limit transgender rights in states across the US.
Musk is also a self-professed “free speech absolutist” – meaning he would permit transphobic hate speech on Twitter – and he’s also tweeted thinly-veiled transphobic comments himself in the past, such as “pronouns suck” and “I absolutely support trans, but all these pronouns are an esthetic [sic] nightmare.”
The petition for a name change and new birth certificate to reflect his daughter’s new gender identity was filed with the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Santa Monica.
Wilson’s mother has since tweeted in support of her daughter and added that she was “very proud” of her, while Musk is yet to comment.