French appeals court clears two over first lady gender rumours

French President Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte Macron is seen in August 2019. AFP

A French appeals court Thursday overturned convictions against two women accused of libel against French First Lady Brigitte Macron, after they spread false claims she used to be a man that reached the United States.

Disinformation on Macron’s gender has circulated on social media for years. She has also been attacked over the 24-year age difference with President Emmanuel Macron.

The 72-year-old first lady, whose maiden name is Trogneux, has a brother called Jean-Michel.

Brigitte Macron filed a libel complaint against two women after they posted a YouTube video in December 2021, alleging she had once been a man named Jean-Michel.

In the video, defendant Amandine Roy, a self-proclaimed spiritual medium, interviewed Natacha Rey, a self-described independent journalist, for four hours on her YouTube channel.

Rey spoke about the “state lie” and “scam” she claimed to have uncovered -- that a certain Jean-Michel Trogneux had changed gender to become Brigitte, then married the president.

They discussed surgery she was supposed to have undergone, and revealed personal information about the first lady’s brother.

The claim went viral, including recently among conspiracy theorists in the United States.

A lower court in September last year ordered the two women to pay 8,000 euros in damages to Brigitte Macron, and 5,000 euros ($5,500) to her brother.

But the Paris Appeals Court on Thursday let them off, including over a false claim of “grooming a minor”, arguing they had made the mistake in “good faith”.

The defendants will no longer have to pay the damages.

The court did not provide further explanations.

In a separate case, four men are to appear in court in October in Paris over allegations they harassed the first lady.

Among the accused is Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, born in 1984, a publicist known on social media as “Zoe Sagan” often linked with conspiracy theory circles.

Former US first lady Michelle Obama, ex-vice president Kamala Harris and New Zealand ex-premier Jacinda Ardern have also been the target of disinformation about their gender or sexuality.