Elon Musk has expressed his intention to relocate his companies from California due to concerns regarding a recently enacted transgender law.
Elon Musk announced on Tuesday his intention to relocate the headquarters of both SpaceX and X, formerly known as Twitter, to the state of Texas. This decision was prompted by a recent Californian law that restricts schools from mandating teachers to inform parents regarding alterations to a student's gender identity.“This is the final straw. 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,” Musk said on X.
The multi-billionaire also mentioned the relocation of X
from its art-deco headquarters in San Francisco to Austin, a plan that has been
previously discussed but not yet executed.
As for Tesla, its headquarters has already been moved from
Palo Alto in Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas.
“I did make it clear to Governor Newsom about a year ago
that laws of this nature would force families and companies to leave California
to protect their children,” Musk wrote.
Musk has openly expressed his strong disapproval of the use
of preferred pronouns. He has frequently ridiculed the practice on social media
platforms and dismissed it as part of a “progressive” agenda that poses a
threat to societal norms.
On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill
into law after a contentious legislative process. The bill pitted a small
number of school boards advocating for parental rights against LGBTQ activists
expressing concerns about the well-being of vulnerable students.
The legislation overturned decisions made by conservative
school districts that mandated teachers to inform parents in the event that a
student altered their name or pronouns, or expressed a desire to utilize
facilities or participate in programs that did not align with their officially
designated gender.
Newsom, who is considered a potential alternative to
President Joe Biden as a candidate for the presidency, has frequently engaged
in debates with conservatives regarding gender-related matters in public
educational institutions.
In the previous year, the individual enacted legislation
imposing financial penalties on school districts that prohibit textbooks
depicting LGBTQ individuals and other marginalized communities.
The most recent legislation was enacted following a
contentious dispute between Governor Newsom and a conservative school board
over their opposition to the inclusion of Harvey Milk, a prominent San
Francisco public figure and advocate for gay rights who was tragically
assassinated, in the curriculum.
Musk has previously engaged in a debate with Newsom, the
former mayor of San Francisco, during the most severe phase of the COVID-19
pandemic. Musk expressed disagreement with the decisions made by city and state
health authorities at that time.