France’s First Lady Takes Gender Claims Case to Top Court

Brigitte Macron, France’s First Lady, has taken her defamation case to the country’s highest court after a Paris appeals court overturned the convictions of two women who falsely claimed she was born male.

The women had alleged in a viral YouTube video that Macron was once a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux—who is, in fact, her real-life brother. The video, posted in December 2021, featured a four-hour interview between Amandine Roy, a self-styled spiritual medium, and Natacha Rey, who described herself as an independent journalist.

In the video, Rey insisted she had uncovered a “state lie,” accusing Brigitte Macron of hiding her alleged gender transition before marrying Emmanuel Macron. The claims were widely circulated online and picked up by conspiracy theorists, particularly in the United States.

A lower court had previously ordered the two women to pay €8,000 to Macron and €5,000 to her brother in damages. But last Thursday, the Paris Court of Appeal overturned that decision, letting the women off.

Now, Brigitte Macron and her brother are appealing to the Cour de Cassation, France’s highest court, in a renewed bid to challenge the dismissal. Her lawyer, Jean Ennochi, confirmed the development on Monday.