Two women ordered to pay Brigitte Macron €8,000 for spreading transphobic rumors

PARIS — Two women were found guilty of libel on Thursday and ordered to pay thousands of euros in damages after spreading a fake transphobic rumor that French first lady Brigitte Macron was born a man and is living as a transgender woman.

The duo, a self-described independent journalist and the host of a YouTube channel, alleged without proof in a 2021 video posted to the platform that Macron had been born as Jean-Michel Trogneux and had later changed her name and gender. Trogneux, who is actually Macron’s brother, participated in the trial.

The false claims were spread well beyond France, amplified by conspiracy theorists and far-right internet figures such as U.S. conservative commentator Candace Owens.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said in a written statement to POLITICO that the two defendants had been fined €500 and ordered to pay €8,000 to Macron and €5,000 to her brother in civil damages.

Macron said in a 2022 interview that at first she had ignored the falsehoods, but eventually decided to tackle them head-on after they affected her parents and family, who own and operate a chain of well-known chocolate stores in northern France.

Macron’s husband, French President Emmanuel Macron, addressed the false claims for the first time in March, telling reporters they had hurt him and impacted his private life.

The situation had echoes of similar transphobic narratives targeting former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama.