Featured image via Vivian Jenna Wilson (@vivllainous) on Instagram.
Since becoming internet famous for calling out her estranged father Elon Musk, 20-year-old Vivian Jenna Wilson has stayed tight-lipped when it comes to the media. She’s only ever given one interview — until now, that is. Wilson is Teen Vogue’s latest cover star, complete with a tell-all interview that touches on her advocacy for trans rights and why, despite what the public or her father may think, she’s not letting him rule her mind.
“He’s a pathetic man-child. Why would I feel scared of him?” Wilson said of her father, who she hasn’t spoken to since 2020.”‘Ohhh, he has so much power.’ Nah, nah, nah. I don’t give a f*ck. Why should I be scared of this man? Because he’s rich? Oh, no, I’m trembling. Ooh, shivering in my boots here. I don’t give a f*ck how much money anyone has. I don’t. I really don’t. He owns Twitter. Okay. Congratulations.”
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“People thrive off of fear. I’m not giving anyone that space in my mind,” she added. “The only thing that gets to live free in my mind are drag queens.”
Wilson also talked about using her newfound platform to advocate for trans folks, particularly trans youth in America, who are largely losing access to the gender-affirming healthcare she received as a teenager.
“As someone who did transition as a minor, I feel like there’s so much villainization of that, and I would really like to raise awareness of the fact that trans care for minors, especially puberty blockers, is really, really important,” she said. “So maybe stop demonizing these literal children or the people around these children who are just trying to help them to feel comfortable in their own skin.”
“As a trans woman, I am terrified of losing access to guaranteed medical care. If I didn’t medically transition at the age I did, I don’t know what would’ve happened. I don’t feel like people realize that being trans is not a choice. I’m so sorry to break it to you,” Wilson added later in the interview. “Transitioning as a minor was something that was medically necessary for me to do in order to be not suicidal, and it is really important that we protect access to trans care for trans youth.”
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Wilson also offered some sage advice to her fellow trans women: “Don’t let other people’s perceptions of you affect your own. Don’t be ashamed of being trans in a world that constantly tries to make us ashamed of who or what we are.”
“My transness is not an asterisk to my personhood,” she continued. “I value the trans community so much. I value the queer community. I value trans history and queer history and queer culture and all of that to such a high degree, and I would never want to distance myself from any of that.”
Check out Wilson’s full interview with Teen Vogue here.
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