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Grace Abels
By Grace Abels February 17, 2025

What the truck? No, Musk didn’t ban LGBTQ+ people from buying Cybertrucks

If Your Time is short

  • PolitiFact found no evidence that Tesla CEO Elon Musk made such a statement. 

  • The claim appears to have originated as satire. 

As Tesla sales drop, did an announcement from CEO and billionaire Elon Musk further shrink his potential buyers? 

"Elon Musk announced that he will not sell Tesla Cybertruck to anyone belonging to the ‘pride’ community," read a Feb. 12 Facebook post that included Musk’s picture alongside a photo of a rainbow-painted Cybertruck and several progress pride flags.

The post linked to an article that said Musk had announced his decision in a recent interview and purportedly said: "The Cybertruck is designed to be a rugged, versatile vehicle that appeals to a broad audience. However, we have observed that the ‘pride’ community often uses vehicles as a platform for political and social statements, which can detract from the intended purpose of the Cybertruck."

But PolitiFact could find no evidence that Musk is prohibiting Cybertruck sales to LGBTQ+ people or that he made this statement. PolitiFact also found no statements made by Musk or Tesla on X or the Tesla website.


(Screenshot of Facebook post)

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

PolitiFact reviewed Nexis news archives and Google search results and found no credible reporting to support this viral post. Musk’s actions are currently under scrutiny because of his role in President Donald Trump’s administration as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, so if Musk made this announcement, it would have made headlines. But none exist.

The claim appears to have originated on a self-proclaimed satire Facebook account, The Satire Times, the day before the viral post.

It was widely reshared without a satire label on Facebook and Threads.

Sign up for PolitiFact texts

Less than three years ago, Musk promoted Tesla’s support of its LGBTQ+ employees by noting it was ranked highly in the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, which measures LGBTQ+ workplace policies. More recently, he has made statements criticizing support for transgender youth, including referring to his transgender daughter as "dead," having been "killed" by the "woke mind virus." Musk's eldest child, Vivian Jenna Wilson, is alive. 

We rate the claim that Musk announced he would no longer sell Cybertrucks to members of the LGBTQ+ community False.

Our Sources

Facebook profile (archived), accessed Feb. 17, 2025

USA News (archived), Feb. 12, 2025

Facebook post, (archived) Feb. 12, 2025

Facebook post, (archived) Feb. 14, 2025

Threads post, (archived), Feb. 14, 2025

Facebook post, (archived), Feb. 11, 2025

The New York Times, "Tesla’s European Sales Drop in January After Elon Musk Disrupts Politics," Feb. 5, 2025

X post, Nov. 7, 2024

Tesla, "News," accessed Feb. 17, 2025

X post, Jun. 4, 2023

X post, Jun. 1, 2022

The Human Rights Campaign, "Corporate Equality Index 2025," accessed Feb. 17, 2025

X search, "(pride from:@tesla),"accessed Feb. 17, 2025

X search, "(cybertruck from:@elonmusk)" accessed Feb. 17, 2025

NBC News, "Elon Musk’s transgender daughter, in first interview, says he berated her for being queer as a child," July 25, 2024

CNN, "Are Elon Musk’s politics costing Tesla sales?," Feb. 17, 2025

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What the truck? No, Musk didn’t ban LGBTQ+ people from buying Cybertrucks

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