Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., arrives at the Excel Springer Awards in Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.
Lisa Johansson-Copitz | Bloomberg | Getty Images
In a series of tweets this week, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, mocked people who list pronouns that they want others to use to describe them in their bi-line bios. Now, a group that has ranked Tesla as one of the best places to work for LGBTQ people says it should apologize.
Companies are under more pressure than ever to create an inclusive environment and support a diverse workforce. The practice of displaying pronouns on social media and in executive bios is used by people who refer to them as trans, gender non-form performing, gender-fluid, non-binary or intersex. (They are represented by T and Q in the acronym LBBTQ.)
Apple uses Tim Cook and Greg Joswick as pronouns in their Twitter bios, for example. And Facebook’s settings allow users to customize their gender information and preferred pronouns or not to display them if they choose.
The beginnings of musk To tweet Include the words “when you put him / her in the bio” with a picture of a bloody hand rubbing on a soldier’s face.
After fans and opponents alike criticized the tweet, he defended himself To tweet, “I totally support trans, but all these pronouns are aesthetic nightmares.” after that Point Tesla ranked first in the Corporate Equality Index, an annual list of the best places to work for LGBTQ people.
That prestigious list is compiled annually by the Human Rights Campaign, which focuses on the equal rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people at the Charitable Foundation.
Now, the group says Musk should apologize.
In response to CNBC’s inquiry, the group wrote, “Kasturi’s sensitive comments are in stark contrast to HRC’s workplace equality program that deals with companies on a daily basis.
Alfonso David, president of the organization, insisted, “The pronouns that mock Elon Musk’s tweet are the exact opposite of what today’s leadership looks like. He also said, “Kasturi should apologize.”
Tesla and Kasturi did not immediately return a request for comment.
Musk has been accused of being transphobic in the past. In July, he tweeted “pronoun sass”, but he deleted the tweet after his partner, Canadian musician Grimes confronted him.
Here is the full statement from the human rights campaign:
The Corporate Equality Index (CEI) is a comprehensive measure of workplace non-discrimination policies, practices and decisions for the full protection and inclusion of LGBTQ workers. Tesla scored 100 runs on the 2020 CEI based on this crucial foundation of non-discriminatory policies and benefits included.
No benchmarking tool can provide a complete account of the day-to-day experiences of LGBTQ workers. LGBTQ CEI alone for contents. Criteria are essential foundations but do not represent the totality of what it takes to ensure a fully inclusive and welcoming environment. The CEI is not a cover for poor personal behavior, and the HRC has condemned the pronoun for pronouncing Musk’s tweets.
Kasturi’s insensitive comments are the opposite of what HRC’s workplace equality program does every day with companies – providing employees with a safe, inclusive and reasonable environment.
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