French first lady sues two women over trans claims

Berliner Tageblatt - French first lady sues two women over trans claims

French first lady sues two women over trans claims / Photo: ©

French first lady sues two women over trans claims

Brigitte Macron, France's first lady, has filed a lawsuit against two women who claimed she was transsexual, sparking a wave of online rumour-mongering weeks ahead of her husband's expected re-election campaign, a legal source said Friday.

Text size:

A first hearing in the case has been set for June 15 in Paris on claims of a violation of privacy and fundamental personal rights, and illicit use of her image.

A lawyer for Brigitte Macron declined to comment on the suit that was first reported by M6 television, which said it was co-filed by Brigitte Macron's three children from a previous marriage as well as her brother.

In recent months messages have multiplied on social media claiming that the first lady, formerly Brigitte Trogneux, is a trans woman whose name at birth was Jean-Michel.

The two women targeted in the lawsuit, one a self-proclaimed spiritual medium and the other an independent journalist, posted the rumour along with pictures of the first lady and her family on YouTube in December.

The post coincided with a surge in the hashtag #JeanMichelTrogneux on Twitter and other networks.

Emmanuel Macron's relationship with his wife 24 years his senior, whom he met while she was a teacher and he was still a teenager, has been a source of media attention in France and abroad.

It is not the first time that the couple has been targeted by rumours about gender or sexual orientation: During the 2017 presidential campaign, Emmanuel Macron denied claims about his alleged homosexuality.

J.Bergmann--BTB

RYCEF	-0.15%	6.79	$
CMSC	0.13%	24.672	$
GSK	0.77%	33.96	$
RBGPF	100%	59.24	$
NGG	1.63%	63.11	$
RELX	2.12%	46.75	$
BTI	1.07%	37.38	$
RIO	-0.35%	62.35	$
CMSD	0.06%	24.46	$
VOD	1.52%	8.73	$
SCS	1.73%	13.27	$
AZN	2.09%	65.63	$
BP	0.67%	29.72	$
BCC	2.38%	143.78	$
JRI	-0.15%	13.21	$
BCE	0.34%	26.77	$

Berliner Tageblatt - French first lady sues two women over trans claims

French first lady sues two women over trans claims

Featured

DHL cargo plane crashes in Lithuania, killing one

From serious car crash to IPL record for 'remarkable' Pant

Philippine VP Duterte 'mastermind' of assassination plot: justice department

39 foreigners flee Myanmar scam centre: Thai police