“Defamations” and “transphobic hoaxes.” This is how the French courts have described the statements of two women who claimed that the First Lady of the Élysée was transgender. It happened in 2021 during a conversation that lasted more than four hours between a “self-taught journalist” and a medium who claimed that Brigitte Macron He was born a man, specifically as Jean Michel Trogneuxwhich is actually the name of her brother. The Paris Criminal Court sentenced them on Thursday to pay 8000 euros to the presidential consort for damages and others 5000 to his brother.
The verdict comes a year after the conclusion of the trial, a procedure that was initiated after Brigitte Macron herself filed a complaint in early 2022. At first, neither she nor her husband wanted to give it any importance, but the hoax went viral and crossed borders. At that time, the couple’s lawyer, Jean Enocchi, told BFMTV that “these totally fantastical claims” had been collected “all over the world” and that he had instructions to act against them “in France and abroad”. After the favourable verdict, he assured that they do not receive it as a victory, but only as “the application of the law” for any citizen.
Emmanuel Macron himself denounced last March the dissemination of false information about his wife and the damage it caused to those around him: “The worst thing about false information and fabricated scenarios, with people who end up believing them, is that they also affect your private life”he said.
The conviction restores the honour of Emmanuel Macron’s wife, who has gained special prominence this summer thanks to the Olympic Games held in Paris. Brigitte has acted as a perfect host not only for the sports delegations but also for the invited Heads of State and important personalities. In addition, the First Lady has taken advantage of this growing popularity to make the leap to Netflix and make a cameo in the series Emily in Paris.
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