Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey were convicted of defamation after spreading the false rumor that Brigitte Macron was a transgender woman.
The false rumor had gone viral as far as the United States: it was suspected Brigitte Macron of being a transgender woman. Two women had even relayed this rumor, assuring that the birth name of the first lady was in fact Jean-Michel Trogneux. He is in fact the very real brother of Brigitte Macron. The two women were convicted of defamation by the Paris Criminal Court on Thursday, September 12, the prosecution confirmed to Franceinfo.
The false “state lie”
In 2021, the “medium” Amandine Roy interviewed the “self-taught independent journalist” Natacha Rey for more than four hours on her YouTube channel. In the video, the two women claimed to have discovered a “deception”, a “scam”, and even spoke of a “state lie”. They even posted photos of Brigitte Macron and her family, detailed the surgical procedures that the first lady had allegedly undergone, and revealed personal information about her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux, details The WorldThe transphobic rumor went viral shortly before the 2022 presidential election, recalls The GuardianIn the United States, the rumor has gone viral on the far right.
The two women were sentenced to a suspended fine of 500 euros. They will also have to pay a total of 8,000 euros in damages to Brigitte Macron, and 5,000 euros to her brother. The siblings had filed a civil suit at the trial, which was held last June. However, the first lady did not attend the trial, nor was she present when the decision was made on Thursday.