Seth CohenContributor
Leadership Strategy
I write about leadership, politics, inclusion and social change.
Over the past twenty-four hours, Elon Musk has stirred up controversy on Twitter, sharing a series of social media posts that once again has put the outspoken founder of Tesla and SpaceX in the spotlight. However, it’s his apparently transphobic two-word Tweet from Friday evening that has prompted outrage.
Musk, who added a red rose to his Twitter name in an apparently mocking reference to the symbol used by members of the Democratic Socialists of America, first posted, and then pinned, a Tweet suggesting that there isn’t a need for the additional federal stimulus package currently being debated in Congress. That Tweet was followed by a reference to universal basic income, a concept that Musk has tweeted favorably about in the past.
Then, eleven hours after posting that “Twitter sucks,” Musk shared what many found to be an offensive and transphobic Tweet commenting that “pronouns suck.” Musk’s Tweet appears to be a mocking criticism of gender-neutral personal pronouns, used by many in an effort to be more inclusive of transgender and non-conforming individuals.
The online criticism of Musk was immediate, apparently even drawing the ire of his girlfriend, musical artist Grimes. In a since deleted Tweet, the musician, whose real name is Claire Boucher and who is a co-parent of Musk’s child, tweeted a reply saying “I love you but please turn off ur phone or give me a dall [sic]. I cannot support this hate. Please stop this. I know this is not your heart.”
Musk’s tweet on Friday isn’t the first time his use of the popular social media medium has sparked outrage — Musk has a long history of taking to Twitter to express his amusement, irritation, and exploration of whatever topic crosses his mind. But his use of Twitter has also landed him in legal trouble. In 2018, Musk was sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission related to a Tweet by Musk that claimed he had secured funding to take his publicly-traded company Tesla private at $420 a share. The lawsuit, which asserted that Musk had misled investors, was settled by Musk later that year, with the entrepreneur paying a $20 million fine and relinquishing his role as Chairman of the Board of Tesla.
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 09: Elon Musk, founder and chief engineer of SpaceX speaks at the 2020 ... [+] GETTY IMAGES
Musk also got into hot water in 2018 for a subsequently deleted Tweet in which Musk used the term “pedo guy” to describe Vernon Unsworth, a British caver and one of the rescuers of the 12 boys and their soccer coach that were famously trapped in a cave in Thailand in July, 2018. Unsworth sued Musk for defamation in California, but a jury found that Musk was not liable to Unsworth. For his part, Musk answered that his Twitter comment, which seemingly was a reference to pedophilia, was “heated rhetoric” and not meant to state that Unsworth was, in fact, a pedophile.
Musk’s newest Tweet comes at a time when America is already mired in a national debate about issues of identity and inclusion, and in particular, inclusion of transgender individuals. In addition to ongoing discrimination of transgender individuals in all aspects of American society, there is also a troubling trend of violence against trans individuals in the United States. According to Human Rights Campaign (HRC), in 2019 at least 27 transgender or gender non-conforming people were fatally shot or killed by violence. 91% of the victims were Black women and 81% were under the age of 30. HRC has also counted 22 murders of transgender and non-conforming individuals in 2020, including at least 4 deaths since the start of July.
By seemingly mocking the issue of personal pronoun usage, the widely-followed entrepreneur isn’t just sharing the musings of an eccentric businessman, he is also stoking a cultural conflict and diminishing an issue that is an important aspect of the recognition and inclusion of transgender and non-conforming individuals. While likely not intended to be hateful, Musk’s comment nonetheless shows an incredible amount of ignorance by a man seen by many as one of the boldest and most insightful entrepreneurs of our lifetime. Musk’s Tweet, whatever it’s motivation, should not only be followed by clarification, but it demands an apology as well.
Of course pronouns matter – so does human dignity. If Elon Musk wants to send people to space, perhaps he should spend a bit more time respecting them here on earth first.
Using whatever personal pronoun they prefer.
Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.
Seth Cohen
Musk’s tweet on Friday isn’t the first time his use of the popular social media medium has sparked outrage — Musk has a long history of taking to Twitter to express his amusement, irritation, and exploration of whatever topic crosses his mind. But his use of Twitter has also landed him in legal trouble. In 2018, Musk was sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission related to a Tweet by Musk that claimed he had secured funding to take his publicly-traded company Tesla private at $420 a share. The lawsuit, which asserted that Musk had misled investors, was settled by Musk later that year, with the entrepreneur paying a $20 million fine and relinquishing his role as Chairman of the Board of Tesla.
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 09: Elon Musk, founder and chief engineer of SpaceX speaks at the 2020 ... [+] GETTY IMAGES
Musk also got into hot water in 2018 for a subsequently deleted Tweet in which Musk used the term “pedo guy” to describe Vernon Unsworth, a British caver and one of the rescuers of the 12 boys and their soccer coach that were famously trapped in a cave in Thailand in July, 2018. Unsworth sued Musk for defamation in California, but a jury found that Musk was not liable to Unsworth. For his part, Musk answered that his Twitter comment, which seemingly was a reference to pedophilia, was “heated rhetoric” and not meant to state that Unsworth was, in fact, a pedophile.
Musk’s newest Tweet comes at a time when America is already mired in a national debate about issues of identity and inclusion, and in particular, inclusion of transgender individuals. In addition to ongoing discrimination of transgender individuals in all aspects of American society, there is also a troubling trend of violence against trans individuals in the United States. According to Human Rights Campaign (HRC), in 2019 at least 27 transgender or gender non-conforming people were fatally shot or killed by violence. 91% of the victims were Black women and 81% were under the age of 30. HRC has also counted 22 murders of transgender and non-conforming individuals in 2020, including at least 4 deaths since the start of July.
By seemingly mocking the issue of personal pronoun usage, the widely-followed entrepreneur isn’t just sharing the musings of an eccentric businessman, he is also stoking a cultural conflict and diminishing an issue that is an important aspect of the recognition and inclusion of transgender and non-conforming individuals. While likely not intended to be hateful, Musk’s comment nonetheless shows an incredible amount of ignorance by a man seen by many as one of the boldest and most insightful entrepreneurs of our lifetime. Musk’s Tweet, whatever it’s motivation, should not only be followed by clarification, but it demands an apology as well.
Of course pronouns matter – so does human dignity. If Elon Musk wants to send people to space, perhaps he should spend a bit more time respecting them here on earth first.
Using whatever personal pronoun they prefer.
Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.
Seth Cohen
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