False claims about Macron’s gender have harmed her quality of life

Brigitte Macron’s daughter has informed a Paris court that false online claims stating the French first lady was born a man have negatively impacted her mother’s quality of life, making her constantly concerned about the clothes she wears and her posture.

Tiphaine Auzière, 41, a lawyer, appeared as a witness at the trial of 10 individuals accused of online harassment of Brigitte Macron for creating or sharing social media posts falsely claiming she was a man.

Auzière mentioned that photographs of her mother, including private summer pictures, had been shared online with negative commentary. “As a result, she now consistently has to be mindful of what she wears and how she carries herself, regardless of what she’s doing in her everyday life, because she knows her image can be twisted to fuel these attacks.”

Eight men and two women, aged 41 to 60, are facing trial in Paris for the online harassment of Brigitte Macron. Some defendants had a small social media following, while others were more notable. All are accused of making spiteful comments about Brigitte Macron’s gender and sexuality. For some, this included equating her age difference with her husband, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to “paedophilia.” If found guilty, they could face up to two years in prison.

Auzière, one of three children from Brigitte Macron’s first marriage, stated that her mother had been affected by social media posts that led to a “deterioration of her health” and a “deterioration of her quality of life.”

She said, “Not a day or week goes by without someone mentioning this to her... What is really challenging for her are the impacts on her family... Her grandchildren hear what is being said: ‘Your grandmother is lying’ or ‘Your grandmother is your grandfather.’ This profoundly affects her. She doesn’t know how to put a stop to it... She’s not elected, hasn’t pursued anything, and is constantly subjected to these attacks. I – as a daughter, a woman, and a mother – wouldn’t wish her life upon anyone.”

Auzière remarked that her mother now maintains the “constant vigilance of being alert that any image of her could be used against her to fuel hateful attacks. So she can’t experience peace in her daily activities... It’s the impossibility of having a normal life without this issue being raised, the attacks she’s targeted with. Her identity is persistently questioned; people continuously discuss this with her.”

Auzière compared the claims that her mother was a man to a “whirlwind that never stops.”

The Paris trial is the latest chapter in a legal struggle on both sides of the Atlantic against the untrue allegation that Brigitte Macron is a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux.

The Macrons have also initiated a US lawsuit for defamation against the conservative podcaster Candace Owens for amplifying and repeating the claim. The Macrons’ US lawsuit asserts that the allegation that Brigitte Macron is a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux is entirely false and that Trogneux is actually Brigitte Macron’s older brother. Trogneux, 80, resides in the northern French town of Amiens, where he grew up with Brigitte and their siblings in a family noted for its chocolate business.

Auzière informed the court she had seen her uncle a few months ago and “he was in great health.”

Earlier, Jean-Luc M, 65, a retired business owner now serving as a deputy mayor in a village in Saône-et-Loire, was questioned regarding social media posts he shared or penned, including one referring to Brigitte Macron as “our first ladyboy.” He denied online harassment, stating: “I never intended to cause harm.”

Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, 41, a well-known publicist and fiction writer with a high-profile social media account under the pseudonym Zoé Sagan, was interrogated about four social media posts regarding Brigitte Macron’s identity, including posts by Owens that he shared. He denied online harassment, arguing the legal proceedings were “very dangerous for freedom of expression.”

He labeled his posts about Brigitte Macron as “satire” and “humorous,” stating that France is a nation with “satire in its DNA.” He claimed Brigitte Macron should have released some photographs of herself while pregnant, which would have dispelled the claims.

Bertrand S, an art gallery owner, denied harassment. He indicated he shared posts about Brigitte Macron being a man because he believed it was becoming a global issue “with consequences for France.” He thought that if many people posted about it, “the Macrons would be compelled to provide us an answer to our questions.”

The false theory about Brigitte Macron’s gender gained traction partly because the Macrons’ relationship had long been a topic of discussion online. Brigitte Macron, who is 24 years older than her husband, first encountered Emmanuel Macron when she was a French teacher at his Jesuit secondary school in Amiens, where she directed him in a school play.

The Macrons’ US lawsuit against Owens stated: “Through the school’s theatre program, President Macron and Mrs. Macron formed a deeper intellectual connection.” It added: “At all times, the teacher-student relationship between Mrs. Macron and President Macron remained within the bounds of the law.” Brigitte Macron, who has three children from her first marriage, divorced in 2006, and she and Emmanuel Macron married the following year when he was 30.