For a long time, there have been rumors circulating that the wife of French President Macron, Brigitte Macron, is a "transgender person," which has caused great distress to the "first couple" of France. The Global Times reported on the 16th that Brigitte decided to appeal to the French Supreme Court on the 14th, requesting that two women who claimed she was transgender be convicted. On July 23rd, another report stated that the Macron couple had sued an American right-wing podcast for defamation, claiming that she had long spread the rumor that "Brigitte was actually a man."
The podcast being sued is named Candace Owens, who has at least 17 million followers on platforms such as Instagram, Youtube, and X, and has significant influence. The lawsuit submitted by the Macron couple to the Delaware Superior Court states that Owens launched a "global humiliation campaign" full of lies, aimed at promoting her channel and attracting more "crazy" fans. The lawsuit also states that in addition to spreading the rumor that Brigitte was a "man," Owens also claimed that Brigitte's marriage to Macron was "incestuous"—Brigitte is 24 years older than Macron.
In March 2024, Owens' first episode about "Brigitte being a transgender person" generated considerable attention online, and she posted on social media saying, "I am willing to bet my entire professional reputation that Brigitte Macron is indeed a man." Owens also self-published a book titled "Devenir Brigitte" (Become Brigitte), specifically to "expose Brigitte's transgender identity."
The podcast Candace Owens being sued
In their lawsuit, the Macron couple cited examples where Owens falsely claimed that Brigitte Macron's original name at birth was Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of Brigitte's brother. These rumors have resulted in "endless bullying behavior towards Brigitte around the world."
Owens responded on her program on the 23rd local time, stating that the lawsuit filed by the Macron couple is filled with factual errors and is their "desperate PR strategy" aimed at discrediting her character. Owens' spokesperson also said the lawsuit is "bullying against Owens" and "an attack by a foreign government on the rights of an independent journalist in the United States under the First Amendment of the Constitution."
The Macron couple through their lawyers issued a statement saying that they had asked Owens to retract the defamatory statements, but Owens refused three times, so they took legal action.
"Ms. Owens' defamation activities are clearly intended to harass and harm us and our family, and to gain notoriety and attention," the Macron couple said, "we gave her every opportunity to withdraw these accusations, but she refused."
Some French media mentioned in their reports that Owens is an extreme conservative in the United States and is also a loyal supporter of US President Trump.
On July 9, Macron and his wife attended an event during their visit to the British Museum in London.
According to public information, Macron was born in 1977 and is currently 48 years old. Brigitte was born in 1953 and is currently 72 years old. She was once Macron's teacher. They married in 2007, and both emphasized that their love and marriage comply with the law and social ethics. The claim that "Brigitte is a transgender person" appeared in 2021, initially just a small-scale conspiracy theory. However, the influence of this claim has grown over time, with Owens' show playing a key role in it.
On March 8, 2024, Macron made his first public response to the claim that "Brigitte is a transgender person," calling it "baseless" and a real case of online attacks. He said, "The worst thing is false information and fabricated scripts; people eventually believe them, even disturbing your private relationships."
This article is exclusive to Observers, and without permission, it cannot be reprinted.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7530506121909223979/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your attitude below using the [top/like] button.