Elon Musk should apologize for making fun of gender pronouns, says HRC

In a series of tweets this week, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk poked fun at people who list pronouns they would like others to use to describe them in their online bio. Now, a group that has given Tesla top marks as a great place to work for LGBTQ people say they should apologize.

Companies are under more pressure than ever to create an inclusive environment and support a diverse workforce. The practice of posting pronouns on social media and in executive biographies is used by people who wish to show respect for or identify as trans, gender nonconforming, gender fluent, nonbinary, or intersex. (They are represented by T and Q in the acronym LGBTQ.)

Apple executives Tim Cook and Greg Joswiak use pronouns in their Twitter biographies, for example. And Facebook’s settings allow users to customize their gender information and preferred pronouns, or not display them if they want.

Musk’s initial Tweeter included the words “when you put it in your bio” next to a photo of a soldier rubbing his bloody hands over his face.

After fans and detractors criticized the tweet, he defended himself by Tweeter, “I support absolutely trans, but all of these pronouns are an aesthetic nightmare.” Then he highlighted that Tesla was # 1 on the Business Equality Index, an annual list of the best places to work for LGBTQ people.

This prestigious list is compiled annually by the Human Rights Campaign, a charitable foundation focused on equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Now this group is saying Musk should apologize.

“Musk’s callous comments are completely contrary to what HRC’s workplace equality program works every day with companies – providing employees with a safe, inclusive and fair work environment,” the group wrote in response. to a CNBC survey.

The organization’s president, Alphonso David, stressed, “The mocking pronouns in Elon Musk’s tweet are the exact opposite of what inclusive leadership looks like today. It is also clearly out of step with the best practices that we advise companies. ” He also said, “Musk should apologize.”

Tesla and Musk did not immediately return a request for comment.

Musk has been accused of being transphobic in the recent past. In July, he tweeted that “pronouns suck,” but deleted the tweet after his partner, Canadian musician Grimes, confronted him.

Here is the full statement from the Human Rights Campaign:

The Business Equality Index (CEI) is a comprehensive measure of the policies, practices and benefits of non-discrimination in the workplace, essential for the full protection and inclusion of LGBTQ workers. Tesla scored 100 on the IEC 2020 based on this crucial foundation of inclusive non-discrimination policies and benefits.

No benchmarking tool can fully capture the daily experiences of LGBTQ workers. The IEC criteria alone are necessary foundations for LGBTQ inclusion but do not represent all of what is needed to ensure a fully inclusive and welcoming environment. The IEC is not a cover for personal bad behavior, and the HRC condemns Musk’s tweets mocking pronouns.

Musk’s callous comments are totally contrary to what HRC’s workplace equality program works with companies every day – providing employees with a safe, inclusive and fair work environment.