Dad loses custody of autistic son after fighting sex change, gets support from Elon Musk
An Iceland-based father says he has lost custody of his 11-year-old autistic son after voicing opposition to the child undergoing a gender transition, a dispute that has attracted worldwide attention and commentary from billionaire Elon Musk.
Alexandre Rocha, a French citizen who has lived in Iceland for about 25 years, said a court transferred custody of his son to the boy’s mother in December. Rocha believes the ruling was influenced by his objections to medical treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, which he questioned because of their potential long-term effects on children.
Rocha argues that children cannot fully understand the permanent consequences of gender-related medical procedures. He said his son, who was ten at the time of the court proceedings, spends much of his time playing games such as Minecraft and Roblox and, in his view, is too young to grasp the lifelong implications of a gender transition.
The father also said his son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder roughly eight months before the case was decided. According to Rocha, the diagnosis was not given significant weight during the trial. He said that some children on the autism spectrum struggle with their sense of identity or feeling comfortable with themselves, noting that his son sometimes pretends to be different characters or even a cat by wearing items like cat ears or a tail.
Rocha said he raised these points during the legal proceedings but claims a medical specialist dismissed his concerns. He said an Icelandic endocrinologist testified that the hormone treatments posed no issues and did not examine possible underlying mental health considerations.
Since losing custody and decision-making authority over medical care, Rocha says he does not know what treatments his son might be receiving. He expressed concern that medical interventions could be happening without his knowledge.
The father also claims the child’s mother is strongly supportive of the transition. Rocha said he had to use artificial intelligence software, ChatGPT, to understand certain terms connected to gender identity discussions, including “deadname,” a term used to describe a person’s birth name before a name change.
The woke mind virus even affects Iceland https://t.co/RSj23Drfsg
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 25, 2026
According to Rocha, he was informed in February that the mother had legally changed their son’s name to a female name, meaning the child’s identification documents would now list the child as a girl. Rocha contends that the court decision was less about his child’s well-being and more about suppressing his objections.
The case gained attention online after it was shared on the social media platform X. Elon Musk commented on the situation after a post about the story circulated on the account @libsoftiktok. Musk, who has spoken publicly about transgender issues after his own child transitioned and now goes by the name Vivian Jenna Wilson, wrote that the “woke mind virus even affects Iceland.”
Rocha said he was surprised and honored that Musk highlighted the case, adding that he believes many parents share similar concerns regardless of where they live.
Musk did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Beyond the political debate, Rocha said he is most affected by being separated from his son. He said he has not seen the child since January and misses everyday activities they used to share, such as reading bedtime stories and cooking together. He also recalled enjoying watching 1990s Steven Spielberg films like “Jurassic Park” with his son.
Rocha recently asked the court to impose daily fines on the child’s mother, accusing her of interfering with his visitation rights. The mother denied intentionally blocking visits and said the child refuses to see his father because Rocha does not recognize the child’s transgender identity or use the new name.
However, Rocha submitted a witness statement claiming that their last visit together was positive and that the child appeared comfortable and happy. He also recalled the child mentioning missing time with extended family members.
Rocha said the uncertainty about his son’s life now worries him and that the distance between them is growing.
Despite the situation, Rocha said he believes parents should follow their instincts and speak openly about concerns involving their children. He said his actions are motivated by what he believes is best for his son’s future.
The child’s mother did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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