What is MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+? New gender term explained after Elon Musk comments

Canadian MP Leah Gazan has sparked a huge debate on social media after using the term 'MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+' during a speech criticising Canada's Budget 2026, and it's fair to say the internet had some thoughts about it.

The clip has since racked up millions of views, with everyone from political commentators to Elon Musk weighing in.

What does MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ actually stand for?

Let's break it down, because you're going to need a minute with this one.

MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ stands for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual.

The '+' at the end, as with the more commonly known LGBTQ+ abbreviation, represents additional identities not specifically listed in the acronym.

Two-Spirit, for those unfamiliar, is a term used by some Indigenous peoples to describe sexual and gender identities that are specific to their cultures and traditions.

The term itself isn't entirely new.

It stems from Canada's National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which ran from 2016 to 2019 and concluded that violence against Indigenous women amounted to genocide.

However, it's the combination of the MMIWG framework with the full 2SLGBTQQIA+ acronym that has caused so much debate, and it was Gazan's delivery of the lengthy term in parliament that made it go viral.

What was the context of the speech?

Gazan was speaking about what she sees as a deeply troubling set of spending priorities in Canada's latest budget under Prime Minister Mark Carney.

She condemned $7 billion in cuts to Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations, while at the same time the government committed $13 billion to military spending - largely in response to pressure from the US and NATO.

In her address, she said the government had provided 'zero dollars to deal with the ongoing genocide of MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+' and described the budget as 'abhorrent' and 'callous.'

Whatever your views on the politics, it's clear that Gazan feels strongly about the issue, even if the acronym she used to express that passion became the main talking point.

How did Elon Musk and social media react?

As tends to happen when anything even remotely connected to gender identity goes viral, the internet wasted no time in sharing its opinions.

Elon Musk reposted the clip to his hundreds of millions of followers on X, amplifying the debate to a global audience.

"Canada is cooked," he said.

US political commentator Matt Walsh also jumped in, breaking down the acronym for his followers.

He noted the unusual combination of 'missing and murdered' people being folded into an identity-based acronym, quipping that 'murdered is now a queer identity.'

He then joked: "This is the kind of innovation we get from Canada."

Others pointed out that it would be practically impossible to use in everyday conversation.

One commenter noted: "Good luck fitting that on a protest banner."

Is the term widely used?

Despite the viral mockery from some corners, the term does have roots in genuine advocacy work, so must be respected.

The MMIWG2S abbreviation (a shorter version) has been used by Indigenous rights organisations in Canada for several years, particularly in relation to the crisis of violence faced by Indigenous women and Two-Spirit people.

The extended version that Gazan used appears to be an attempt to be as inclusive as possible - though critics argue that combining a reference to missing and murdered people with a broader identity acronym risks diluting the seriousness of both issues.

Regardless of where you land on the debate, one thing is clear: the conversation around inclusive language isn't getting any simpler, though it is still important.

Featured image credit: CPAC