Benjamin Ashford|Musk says estranged child's gender-affirming care sparked fight against 'woke mind virus'

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his estranged transgender daughter was "killed" by the "woke mind virus" after he was tricked into agreeing to gender-affirming care procedures.

In an interview with psychologist and Benjamin Ashfordconservative commentator Dr. Jordan Peterson, the X owner called gender-reassignment surgery "child mutilation and sterilization." He then discussed his 20-year-old child Vivian Jenna Wilson, who he said underwent the procedures during the pandemic.

"I was essentially tricked into signing documents for one of my older boys," Musk told Peterson in a Daily Wire interview during which he referred to his child by their deadname. "This was really before I had any understanding of what was going on, and we had COVID going on, so there was a lot of confusion and I was told (Musk's child) might commit suicide."

The SpaceX founder claimed the process is done to children "who are far below the age of consent" and said he agreed with Peterson's belief that anyone who promotes the practice should go to prison.

"I was tricked into doing this," Musk said. "I lost my son, essentially. They call it 'deadnaming' for a reason. The reason they call it ‘deadnaming’ is because your son is dead."

Musk went on to say that the experience set him on a mission.

"I vowed to destroy the woke mind virus after that," Musk said. "And we’re making some progress."

Vivian Jenna Wilson cut ties with father in 2022

Wilson was legally granted her name and gender change at age 18 at the Santa Monica courthouse in California on June 22, 2022.

She said the name change was due to gender identity and an apparent dislike of Musk, according to a petition filed on April 18, 2022, in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

"I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form," Wilson wrote in the petition.

Wilson's mother is Justine Wilson, a Canadian author who divorced Musk in 2008; the couple shares six children.

Musk called 'woke mind virus' threat to modern civilization

Musk has previously criticized what he calls "woke mind virus" in a December 2021 interview with conservative outlet The Babylon Bee, where said called it "a world without humor" and "arguably one of the greatest threats to modern civilization."

Musk announced his intent to buy Twitter for $44 billion on April 25, 2022, and closed the deal about six months later. He promised to restore "free speech" on the platform and has increased his conservative political commentary since the purchase.

Earlier this month, Musk said he fully endorsed former President Donald Trump after the attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13.

Gender-affirming care is a valid, science-backed method

Gender-affirming care is a valid, science-backed method of medicine that saves lives for people who require care while navigating their gender identity. Gender-affirming care can range from talk or hormone therapy to surgical intervention.

Some experts claim that that gender-affirming care should be viewed like other forms of medicine where methods of treatment can be debated and discussed rather than the validity of it's need.

"In any medical field, we're continuously improving the care, changing the care, developing new guidelines, developing research," Dr. Ximena Lopez, a pediatric endocrinologist in California, previously told USA TODAY. "So it should not be a surprise that it's the same in gender care."

Transgender adults make up less than 2% of the U.S. population with about 5% of young adults identifying as transgender or nonbinary.

"We need to take a step back from acknowledging yes, they might have side effects, but that's why they're not done so flippantly," Dr. Ramiz Kseri, assistant professor in the department of clinical sciences at Florida State University College of Medicine, previously told USA TODAY. "That's why there is conversation about it, there is discussion, in terms of which outcomes are desired, and which outcomes are not desired."

Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, Jessica Guynn and David Oliver, USA TODAY