Elon Musk and other billionaires exploit LGBTQ+ hate for profit, GLAAD CEO tells Davos audience

Author: Christopher Wiggins

GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis took aim at Elon Musk during a panel discussion of business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, warning that his consolidation of power and influence is fueling attacks on LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized groups.

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Speaking at the “Open Forum: Protecting LGBTQI+ Lives” on Thursday, Ellis tied Musk’s actions to a broader pattern of billionaires targeting vulnerable communities while enriching themselves.

“We know that algorithms are where the money is made, and the hate algorithms are the better ones,” Ellis said. “What we’ve enacted is free speech for algorithms, not free speech for citizens. Because we do know that more people are accepting and believe in equality for LGBTQ+ people, but you would never believe that if you go onto X or nowFacebook—that’s not where it’s happening.”

After Musk acquired Twitter, he rolled back content moderation policies that made the app dangerous for LGBTQ+ users. Recently, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also announced a sharp turn in the company’s content moderation and fact-checking approach, loosening restrictions on hate speech and stopping independent fact-checking partnerships.

Ellis highlighted the growing threats to LGBTQ+ safety in the United States, drawing a direct connection between online hate and real-world violence. “What’s happening online is happening in real life. It models one to the other,” she said. She cited attacks on drag shows and the murders of transgender women, adding that GLAAD had to establish an alert desk last year to monitor these incidents as violence “gotten so heinous and out of control.”

Musk’s role in targeting LGBTQ+ people

Ellis also spotlighted Musk’s financial support for President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign and his actions since rebranding X in 2023. Federal Election Commission records show that Musk donated $293 million to Trump’s campaign, making him the largest donor of the 2024 election.

“Trump’s first administration hit about 280 acts against our community,” Ellis said. “In his second [run] for this election, he spent over $280 million on ads, specifically targeting the transgender community. That’s a lot of money that could go to a good cause. At the center of that money was Elon Musk.”

Trump later appointed Musk to lead an advisory committee on “government efficiency,” granting him potential access to federal agencies, deliberations, and budgets—resources Musk could use to benefit his companies, many of which hold U.S. government contracts.

Meanwhile, GLAAD has documented how X under Musk refused to enforce—and later wholly removed—policies protecting LGBTQ+ users and allies from hate speech and harassment. The platform has since become a breeding ground for anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, which Ellis warned has dangerous real-world implications.

“The billionaires are targeting the most marginalized people in the world,” she added. “To me, it’s a distraction. Don’t watch what they’re doing to us; watch what they’re really doing. Because as long as we are fighting or they’re putting us on guard and politicizing us, they’re making money and grabbing more power.”

LGBTQ+ advocacy at Davos

Ellis’s comments were part of GLAAD’s broader advocacy efforts during the forum. On Wednesday, she participated in “The Economic and Business Case for LGBTQI Inclusion,” a session that highlighted the $4.7 trillion global purchasing power of LGBTQ+ consumers and explored how businesses can harness this potential while addressing anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and legislation.

GLAAD also partnered with Open for Business and the Partnership for Global LGBTQI+ Equality to organize the third annual rainbow light-up of the Davos Promenade, supported by companies like Amazon, Google, Deloitte, and SAP.

Ellis’s high-profile presence at Davos follows scrutiny from a New York Times exposé last August, which examined her compensation and travel expenses, including trips to the conference frequented by some of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful CEOs. GLAAD dismissed the article as “grossly misleading,” arguing that Ellis needs to be in places where influential people meet and that it was retaliation for Ellis’s criticism of the Times’s coverage of transgender issues.

In Davos, Ellis addressed the mounting threats to LGBTQ+ communities, doubling down on GLAAD’s mission. “We have always existed. We will always exist,” she said. “You can legislate against us. You can politicize us. We’re not political. We’re everybody. We’re in every family.”

Ellis called for greater accountability from businesses, governments, and civil society in protecting LGBTQ+ lives.

“When you know someone, it’s impossible to hate them. Storytelling is an empathy machine, and we need that more than ever in our society,” she said.

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Christopher Wiggins