Elon Musk's assertion that the villain of The Silence of the Lambs was transgender has rekindled a cultural controversy about the portrayal of gender identity in the 1991 film. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk referenced the film and characterised the antagonist as transgender, a claim that has been fact-checked and widely challenged by film scholars, primary sources from the film itself and advocacy organisations.
Musk's post quickly drew both widespread attention and sharp criticism from commentators and LGBTQ+ advocates. His post, which lacks external supporting evidence, appears to conflate audience perception with the official characterisation of the villain in the film.
