Once again, no, French president Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte is not trans

In March 2024, French president Emmanuel Macron had to address baseless rumours circulating that his wife, Brigitte, is trans, denouncing the claims as “fabricated scenarios”.

Speaking at an International Women’s Day event in Paris, Macron, 46, candidly spoke about the ongoing right-wing conspiracy theory about Brigitte, 70, whom he married in 2007.

“The worst thing is the false information and fabricated scenarios,” Macron said.

“People eventually believe them and disturb you, even in your intimacy.”

He emphatically denied the conspiracies and said it was a case of the typical misogyny that women have to put up with online every day.

The baseless accusations that Brigitte Macron is trans have been spread by voices opposed to her husband, including those on the political far-right. They resurfaced again in June 2024, and will no doubt continue to circulate, in much the same way as similar rumours about former US first lady Michele Obama regularly do the rounds online.

In 2021, Brigitte Macron took legal action against two women – anti-vaxxer medium Amandine Roy and journalist Natacha Rey – who perpetuated the rumours that she’s trans and did not give birth to her children. 

Rey co-authored an article about an alleged investigation into Brigitte’s past which was published in the far-right magazine Faits et Documents in September 2021, according to French outlet Numerama. 

Just a few months later, in December, Rey and Roy appeared in a four-hour-long interview about the conspiracy theory before the video was eventually deleted. Brigitte Macron’s supposed deadname, “Jean-Michael Trogneux”, trended for several days afterwards on French Twitter. 

Trogneux is Brigitte’s maiden name. The name linked in the conspiracy theory belongs to her brother, Le Monde reported. 

In February 2023, a French court convicted the two women of libel for spreading the anti-trans rumours. Following appeals, the pair were handed ‘symbolic’ fines.

Tiphaine Auzière, Brigitte Macron’s youngest daughter, said she was worried “about society” when she heard rumours that her mum is trans was “spreading on social media”, Euronews reported.

“The audacity of what’s being claimed and the weight given to these statements,” Auzière added. “Anyone can say anything about anyone, and it takes a long time to backtrack.”

This is far from the first time a powerful female figure has seen their gender identity the subject of speculation: as well as Michelle Obama, Jacinda Ardern, the former prime minister of New Zealand, has also been a victim of such conspiracy theories in the past. 

Emmanuel Macron, who earlier this year appointed Gabriel Attal as France’s first out gay prime minister, has previously been the subject of similarly baseless rumours about his sexuality.