French President Emmanuel Macron has broken his silence over malicious rumors about his wife being born as a man, stating that such allegations were ‘false and made up’.
During an International Women’s Day event, Macron expressed anger and frustration about continuous speculation about Brigitte Macron, 70, whom he married in 2007.
‘The worst part is the false information and made-up scenarios,’ he said. ‘People eventually believe them and disturb you, even in your privacy.’
Attacks on his wife were typical of the misogyny women have to deal with every day online, he added.
Rumors about Ms. Macron first appeared in 2021, originating on a far-right website in September before being circulated by conspiracy theorists.
The origin of the rumors were later traced back to two women- Amandine Roy, a 52-year-old clairvoyant, and Natacha Rey, 48, who claimed to be a freelance journalist.
Both had appeared on a four-hour YouTube video in December 2021 where they claimed that Brigitte was actually born as a baby boy named Jean-Michel Trogneux in 1953.
However, this is actually the name of Brigitte’s brother, and Ms. Macron was called Brigitte Trogneux before her first marriage.
The pair also claimed that Brigitte’s first husband, André-Louis Auzière, had never actually existed before his reported death in 2020 at the age of 68.
Ms. Macron later sued the two women for libel, and they were punished with ‘symbolic fines’ reduced on appeal last June.
The defendants later claimed they were subjected to ‘intimidation by the authorities’ as ‘ultra protected’ members of the Paris establishment tried to cover up a ‘state secret’.
Initially, a judge in Lisieux, Normandy, fined both women around £1,700 each- However, Roy’s fine was later reduced to approximately £850 following appeal, and Rey had £1,300 of her £1700 fine suspended, resulting in her having to pay only £400.
The original complaint against Ray and Roy was for invasion of private life, violation of image rights and infringement of personality rights,’ but the final case was for defamation.
Frédéric Pichon, Rey’s defense barrister, said her investigation about Ms. Macron had been ‘carried out in good faith’ and in line with Article 10 of the European Court of Human Rights, which guarantees the right to freedom of expression.
He expressed outrage that his client was ‘placed in police custody twice during the case’, saying: ‘I am shocked by the disproportionate means deployed by the authorities to silence her.’
The transphobic rumors about Mrs. Macron were picked up by the far-right in 2022, while the President was campaigning for re-election.
Groups including the Yellow Vests (Gilets Jaunes) and those protesting against Covid vaccines all used the claims to attack Mr. Macron.
The video made by Rey and Roy has been taken off YouTube.
Information about the strange case resurfaced recently after Ms Macron’s daughter publicly discussed the accusations for the first time.
In an interview with Paris Match magazine, Tiphaine Auzière, 40, expressed her concerns about the negative talk on social media regarding her mother's gender.
Ms Auzière also talked about the lasting hurt she felt when she found out as a 10-year-old that her teacher mother was in a relationship with the teenage Emmanuel Macron.
The future politician was only 15 when he started a relationship with the then-married mother-of-three Brigitte Auzière, who was 40 at the time and teaching drama at La Providence high school in Amiens, northern France.
For similar stories, visit our news page.
