Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, has been accused of “feeding” negative attitudes towards transgender people.
A Libération article regrets that the first lady intends to try to overturn the acquittal of two French journalists who claimed that she was born a man under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux.
„Of course, Brigitte Macron’s irritation is understandable. She feels targeted, but the legal strategy she has chosen seems not only ineffective (the acquittal confirms this) but also counterproductive. In the end, by trying to clear her name, she is, perhaps without realizing it, contributing to reinforcing the idea that this rumor is inherently offensive and thus reinforces the stigmatization of transgender people“, the authors believe.
According to them, there is nothing offensive in the journalists' statements, even if they are false, and they do not constitute an “attack on honor“, as confirmed by the appeals court.
The authors also note that Brigitte Macron should not have filed a lawsuit against American journalist Candice Owens, since “no lawsuit has been able to put an end to the rumors - quite the opposite“.
According to the publication, “Brigitte Macron should have learned political finesse“ from celebrities such as Michelle Obama, George Clooney, Lady Gaga or Hugh Jackman, who have also become the subject of gossip about their gender or sexual orientation, but have chosen not to
Last week, the Financial Times reported that French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte had sued American journalist Candice Owens over her comments that the French first lady was born male. As the newspaper noted, the case is a rare case in which a sitting world leader has personally sued an online personality over content. The Macrons are seeking a jury trial and damages. According to their lawyer, Thomas Clair, they are prepared to travel to the United States in person to attend the trial.
In mid-July, the Paris Court of Appeal acquitted self-proclaimed independent journalist Natasha Ray, as well as Amandine Roa (real name Delphine Jegus), on whose YouTube channel Ray made statements about Brigitte Macron’s gender. The court found that most of their comments did not fall under the legal definition of defamation. Brigitte Macron’s lawyer then announced that she would appeal the decision to the Court of Cassation court.
In December 2021, a few months before the French presidential election, Ray said in a video on the YouTube platform that she had been investigating the first lady for several years. She claimed that Macron's teacher Brigitte, née Trogneux, who is 24 years older than the president, was actually born a man named Jean-Michel. The video went viral and quickly spread in the media, including in the United States.