France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, is taking her defamation case to the nation’s highest court after a ruling from the Paris appeals court sided with two women who claimed she was “born a man.” 

Her legal team announced plans to petition the court of cassation to overrule the decision, which has given new fuel to far-fetched rumors that the first lady transitioned to female from male before marrying President Macron.

The theory was aired in a four-hour YouTube video published in December 2021 by a self-described clairvoyant, Amandine Roy, and an independent blogger, Natacha Rey. During the video, the pair claimed that Ms. Macron was born Jean-Michel Trogneux, pointing to her real brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux, as supposed evidence. 

They claimed Ms. Macron underwent gender-transitioning surgeries before her marriage to Mr. Macron, who is 25 years her junior and a former school student of hers. They also suggested that her first husband, André-Louis Auzière, never truly existed, calling it another element of a “state lie.” 

The conspiracy theories gained traction in some online communities and quickly went viral, sparking widespread speculation. 

The legal saga began in January 2022, when Ms. Macron sued Ms. Roy and Ms. Rey for defamation. The first lady and her brother argued that the claims not only targeted her reputation but also caused significant harm to her family. A lower court ruled in her favor in September 2023, ordering the two women to pay Ms. Macron $9,200 and her brother $5,800 in damages.

However, last week, the Paris appeals court overturned the ruling, finding that the women acted in “good faith.” According to the court, the assertions made in the video did not meet the legal threshold for defamation under French law. 

Their remarks, while controversial, were protected as expressions of personal belief. The court also noted that the video’s content fell under the category of free speech, regardless of how dubious the claims might be.

Ms. Macron, described as “devastated” by the ruling, is determined to continue her fight. Her lawyers emphasized that both she and her brother are appealing to the court of cassation, hoping for a final decision to overturn the appeals court’s judgment.

“This is harassment,” Ms. Macron’s daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, said, calling the claims grotesque, France 24 reported. Mr. Macron also weighed in, denouncing the allegations as “false information” and a violation of personal privacy.

Conspiracy theories about Ms. Macron’s sex began circulating as early as 2021, but they gained international traction recently, fueled in part by a series of videos from an American commentator, Candace Owens, who worked at Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire. 

Ms. Owens titled one of her viral videos “Becoming Brigitte,” and stated publicly, “I would stake my entire professional reputation on the claim that Brigitte Macron was born a man.” She later characterized Ms. Macron’s lawsuit as “petty” and accused her of trying to suppress free speech on a “technicality.”

The controversy has fed further speculation across social media platforms, with some users baselessly alleging that Ms. Macron is not only transgender but also Mr. Macron’s biological father. Books like “Becoming Brigitte” by a French journalist, Xavier Poussard, have added fuel to the fire, giving the rumors a further platform.

The Élysée Palace has consistently rejected the accusations as outlandish and unfounded.