Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk on Monday revealed that he felt “tricked” into consenting to puberty blockers for his child, criticizing what he called the “woke mind virus” for its impact on his family.

When asked for his thoughts on sex change procedures for minors, Mr. Musk condemned the practice as “evil.” He shared that his personal experience with his child Xavier, now Vivian Jenna Wilson, had made him aware of what he described as the “woke mind virus,” which he vowed to destroy.

“It happened to one of my older boys, where I was essentially tricked into signing documents for one of my older boys, Xavier. This is before I had any understanding of what was going on. Covid was going on, so there was a lot of confusion and I was told Xavier might commit suicide if he doesn’t…” Mr. Musk told interviewer Jordan Peterson.

“That was a lie right from the outset,” Mr. Peterson interjected.

“I lost my son, essentially. They call it deadnaming for a reason,” Mr. Musk said. “The reason it’s called deadnaming is because your son is dead. My son Xavier is dead, killed by the woke mind virus.”

Mr. Musk said he was never informed that puberty blockers are “actually just sterilization drugs,” adding that the term “gender affirming care” is nothing more than a “terrible euphemism.”

Reflecting on his situation, Mr. Musk said, “I vowed to destroy the woke mind virus after that.”

Vivian Musk publicly came out as transgender in June 2022, filing legal documents to change her name from Xavier to Vivian and adopt her mother’s last name. At the time, Vivian expressed a desire to sever all ties with Mr. Musk, stating, “I no longer want to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.”

Mr. Musk’s stance against what he calls the “woke” movement appears to have influenced his decision to relocate SpaceX’s headquarters to Texas from California. The move follows Governor Newsom’s signing of a bill that prevents school districts from requiring staff to inform parents if their child adopts different pronouns or a gender identity different from their school records.

“This is the final straw,” Mr. Musk announced on X, his social media platform. “Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas.”