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**Summary:**
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, are taking legal action against defamation stemming from a bizarre conspiracy theory claiming that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman. The rumours initially surfaced in 2017 and were amplified in 2021 by a blogger who alleged the First Lady was born Jean-Michel Trogneux. While the Macrons initially won a defamation case against the blogger, it was overturned on appeal. The rumours resurfaced when US far-right influencer Candace Owens repeated the claims in 2024, leading the Macrons to file a new defamation suit in the US. Macron’s lawyer says they will present evidence, including photographs of Brigitte Macron pregnant and raising her children, in court to disprove the allegations. Owens has dismissed the lawsuit as a PR stunt.
**News Article:**
**Macrons Fight Back Against Transgender Conspiracy Theory, Preparing Legal Battle**
**Paris, France** – French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron are escalating their fight against a bizarre and persistent conspiracy theory that claims the First Lady is a transgender woman. The couple is pursuing legal action in the United States against far-right influencer Candace Owens, who has publicly repeated the unfounded allegations.
The rumours, which began circulating online in 2017, allege that Brigitte Macron was born Jean-Michel Trogneux and underwent a gender reassignment. These claims were initially amplified by a blogger who presented supposed “evidence,” including childhood photos.
While the Macrons initially won a defamation case against the blogger and another individual in France, the verdict was overturned on appeal.
The conspiracy theory resurfaced in 2024 when Candace Owens, who has a large online following, repeated the claims, leading the Macrons to file a defamation lawsuit in the US.
Tom Clare, the Macrons’ lawyer, stated that the President intends to present photographic and scientific evidence in court to demonstrate the falsity of the allegations. This evidence will reportedly include pictures of Brigitte Macron pregnant and raising her children. “These folks are obviously important on the world stage, but they’re also human beings, and it’s offensive and hurtful to them,” Clare told the BBC.
Emmanuel Macron, 47, met Brigitte, now 72, when he was a student and she was his teacher. Their relationship became romantic after he promised to marry her, and they later married in 2007 after Brigitte divorced her first husband.
Candace Owens has dismissed the lawsuit as a “desperate public relations strategy” and continues to assert the claims.
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