Elon Musk’s estranged daughter, Vivian Wilson, warns trans people are being used as a political scapegoat
Vivian Wilson is the daughter of tech billionaire Elon Musk. (Getty) (Image: Getty Images)
Vivian Jenna Wilson has partnered with Desigual’s ‘Born to Disobey’ campaign and used a new Out interview to urge queer people to organise, build community, and vote ahead of the US midterms this November.
The campaign is framed around questioning traditional rules and claiming freedom. Reflecting on the collaboration, Wilson told Out: “It was such a great time participating in this campaign. The title is very charming and somewhat of an oxymoron, but systems are not fought with campaigns. They are fought with protests, activists, and societal political movements demanding sweeping changes. The midterms are coming up and we are being employed as the scapegoat to make people forget about the economy, the Iran war, and the Epstein files,”
Midterms, scapegoating and safety
Wilson also spoke about what she sees as escalating political attacks on LGBTQ+ people, particularly trans communities. “The importance of queer people building community and support networks in this time cannot be understated,” she said. “With the government attempting to ban gender affirming care for trans people through an already broken and corrupt healthcare system, the repealment of anti-discrimination laws, and the demonization of queer people, we need to be there for each other right now.”
She criticised anti-trans rhetoric directly, adding: “Look forward to conservatives shouting incessantly about us like kids whose ball went over the fence. Unfortunately, because they are completely incompetent, they have decided to try and distract everyone with how ookity-spookity trans people are.”
Wilson on fashion, community and visibility
Wilson also connected political urgency with day-to-day survival and encouraged people to seek out support while staying cautious. “Many of us, including myself, end up having most of our typical teenage experiences in early adulthood. I think there’s a specific beauty in that. Fashion has helped me figure out who I am, and made me more confident in my aesthetic and how I’m facing the world. To be honest, the people I met in fashion have likely had more of an impact on me than fashion itself. You are not alone. Find queer community however you can will always be my advice. Just be careful, safety should always be your priority.”
Wilson has attracted significant media attention in recent years, including around high-profile family dynamics and public debates about trans rights and youth autonomy. She has also made headlines for moments such as when she walked away as an interviewer called her dad Elon Musk ‘the best’ and when she spoke about her childhood while criticising her estranged father.
