Elon Musk has been criticised for an anti-LGBTQ+ political advertising campaign targeting the transgender community ahead of the November midterm elections in the United States.
Axios reported that America PAC, a group founded and funded by Musk to support Donald Trump and other conservative Republican politicians, launched the campaign.
The emotive trans panic and “family values” ads target voters in Senate races in Alaska, Ohio, Texas and Iowa.
They attack Democratic candidates for supporting the “radical trans agenda”, “taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries” and transgender participation in sport.
Human Rights Campaign Slams Musk Over Anti-Trans Ads
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) slammed the campaign, highlighting the impact of government funding cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on the US, which Musk led in 2025.
“Elon Musk is scapegoating LGBTQ+ Americans to distract voters from the cuts he made and the chaos he has caused,” said HRC National Press Secretary Ramiro Sarmiento in a statement.
“Trans people aren’t the reason cancer research has stalled, rural hospitals have closed, or food recalls are everywhere — that’s all because of Elon’s cuts. Like always, Elon is trying to save his bought and paid for politicians.”
DOGE and Musk also spearheaded the Trump administration’s attack on international funding for HIV and other support programmes, with devastating humanitarian consequences around the world.
Elon Musk’s History of Anti-Trans Comments
The South African-born Musk, the world’s richest man, has a history of making anti-trans comments. His views also have a deeply personal dimension.
He has become estranged from his transgender daughter, Vivian Wilson. She has publicly distanced herself from her father, while Musk has claimed that she was “killed by the woke mind virus.”
In September 2025, Musk falsely claimed on his X platform that hormone therapy makes transgender people violent.
