France's first lady, Brigitte Macron launches appeal after women who claimed she was born a man were cleared of defamation

The First Lady of France has escalated her case against two women who claimed she was once a man to the highest court after a lower court cleared the women of defamation charges.

On Thursday, July 11, the Paris appeals court reversed previous convictions against the two women who had disseminated false information online, alleging that Brigitte Macron, aged 72, was formerly a man.

For years, misinformation about Macron's gender has circulated on social media, exacerbated by the 24-year age gap between her and President Emmanuel Macron.

Brigitte Macron lodged a libel complaint against the women after they released a YouTube video in December 2021, asserting that she had previously been known as Jean-Michel Trogneux, the name of her actual brother.

In the video, Amandine Roy, who claims to be a spiritual medium, conducted a four-hour interview with Natacha Rey, who identifies as an independent journalist.

Rey discussed what she characterized as a 'state deception' and 'scam,' alleging that Jean-Michel Trogneux transitioned to become Brigitte and later married the future president.

This claim gained traction, particularly among conspiracy theorists in the United States.

In their lengthy YouTube video, the defendants asserted that Brigitte was born as a boy named Jean-Michel Trogneux in 1953—a name that indeed belongs to her brother. Brigitte was known as Brigitte Trogneux before her first marriage.

They further claimed that Brigitte's first husband, André-Louis Auzière, had never existed prior to his reported death in 2020 at age 68.

Initially, a judge in Lisieux, Normandy, fined both women approximately £1,700 each after finding them guilty of libel.

Following appeals, Roy’s fine was reduced to £850, while Rey’s £1,700 fine was partially suspended, allowing her to pay only £400.

Now, neither woman will face any financial penalties and may continue to make their claims against Ms. Macron.

Maud Marian, Roy’s defense attorney, celebrated the acquittal, and François Danglehant, representing Rey, also expressed satisfaction with the ruling.

The two women were not present when the court's decision was announced. Brigitte Macron initiated the defamation lawsuit in January 2022.

The court's ruling on Thursday stated that the 18 segments of the video in question did not constitute defamation, but rather represented 'good faith' free expression.