Musk says he’ll move SpaceX headquarters out of California because of new gender identity law

Elon Musk said today he will move his SpaceX aerospace company from Hawthorne to Texas in protest of a state law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that prevents California schools from notifying parents if their children identify as transgender.

“This is the final straw,” Musk wrote on X, the social media platform he also owns. “Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas.”

He added in a subsequent post: “I did make it clear to Governor Newsom about a year ago that laws of this nature would force families and companies to leave California to protect their children.”

It’s unclear if the move could affect SpaceX’s operations in Long Beach. The company recently expanded its footprint at the Port of Long Beach, which serves as a hub for recovering its reusable Falcon 9 boosters that launch out of Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Musk later announced that he would also move the headquarters of X out of San Francisco and into Austin, Texas.

“Have had enough of dodging gangs of violent drug addicts just to get in and out of the building,” Musk wrote.

Representatives for Newsom and the city of Hawthorne could not be immediately reached for comment on Musk’s plans to move SpaceX.

Newsom on Monday signed AB 1955, which bars school districts and teachers from notifying parents and families if their children begin identifying as a different gender. Backers of the legislation said it will prevent “forced outing” of students to parents who may not support their children.

The bill also requires the state to provide resources to parents and students about how to discuss issues of gender identity.

The legislation was prompted by actions of select districts in the state, including one in Temecula, that enacted policies requiring teachers to notify parents about gender-questioning students. Backers of such policies said parents are entitled to be informed about issues involving their children’s health and education.

SpaceX, founded by Musk in 2002, has been a revolutionary force in the space industry, pioneering the re-use of multimillion-dollar rocket boosters to dramatically cut the cost of aerospace missions. The company has earned multiple contracts from NASA for conducting resupply missions to the International Space Station, and transporting astronauts to and from the orbiting outpost with its Crew Dragon capsules. SpaceX is also working with NASA as part of the ambitious Artemis program aimed at establishing a base on the moon, with the larger goal of using the base as a possible launch point for manned missions to Mars.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was quick to respond to Musk’s vow to move the company, writing on X, “This cements Texas as the leader in space exploration.”

SpaceX already has significant operations in Texas, where it is developing its massive Starship vehicle — billed as the most powerful rocket ever flown — for use in the Artemis program and human/cargo missions to Mars.

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