French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife, Brigitte, plans to take legal action after a bizarre disinformation campaign was launched against her falsely claiming she was born a man.
The rumors appeared to have originated in a March Facebook post before spreading in mid-October when a far-right outlet published an article on the supposed “mystery of Brigette Macron.”
The unfounded gossip circulating on social media says Brigitte is a transgender woman whose name at birth was Jean-Michel Trogneux.
In the past few weeks, the bizarre claims have gained new traction with the emergence of the trending hashtag #JeanMichelTrogneux.
Brigitte, 68, now intends to file a legal complaint to sue over the disinformation, her lawyer Jean Ennochi told AFP.
“She has decided to start procedures, it’s in process,” Ennochi told the news service.
The online attacks against Brigitte come as Macron gears up for re-election in April — though he hasn’t officially declared a run.
The president met Brigitte when he was 15 and she was a 40-year-old drama class teacher.
The couple has faced accusations concerning their relationship in the past.
During Macron’s successful 2017 campaign for office, he was forced to deny claims that he had a gay affair.
With Post wires