A prominent LGBT activist has accused France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron, of prejudice against transgender people by her pursuing legal action against those claiming she was born male.
Louis‑Georges Tin, founder of the World Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia group, said in doing so, Macron was “fuelling the stigmatisation of transgender people”.
In a column in the French daily Libération, published on July 31, the LGBT rights activist argued that President Emmanuel Macron’s wife’s transgender theory gained traction because of what he called its anti-trans undertone.
“This affair has caused a great deal of unease in the LGBT community, and rightly so. Because if the rumour has spread, it’s for transphobic reasons – there’s no doubt about that,” he said.
Tin maintained that being transgender was not an insult and that treating it as such via defamation claims was misguided.
“The First Lady’s legal crusade sends the wrong message that being labelled transgender is inherently degrading,” he said.
“By seeking to clear her name, she is contributing, perhaps unwittingly, to reinforcing the idea that this rumour is inherently insulting, and thus perpetuating the stigmatisation of transgender people.”
Citing the Paris Court of Appeal’s ruling in July that overturned convictions against two women accused of libel against Macron, Tin noted that even though the claim was false, it “cannot be defamatory” since being trans was “neither a crime nor a disgrace”.
His text followed the appeal of Macron in a defamation lawsuit against Delphine Jegousse and Nathalie Rey.
The two women had claimed, in a video published in December 2021, that Macron was a transgender woman born a man, originally called Jean-Michel Trogneux. That is also the name of her real brother, who was a co-plaintiff in the case.
A criminal complaint was filed and in September 2024, the Paris Judicial Court found both women guilty of defamation, fining them and ordering thousands of euros in damages.
But last month, the Paris Court of Appeal overturned the convictions, declaring that the allegations had been made “in good faith” and fell within the bounds of free expression.
Tin stated that condemning the women for defamation could set a bad precedent.
“It would be endorsing the idea that this identity is an insult, opening the door to a dangerous jurisprudence, which would turn trans people into a shameful legal category,” he said.
He warned that Macron’s legal strategy was “not only ineffective” but also “counter‑productive”.
The First Lady has also filed a similar defamation suit against US Conservative commentator Candace Owens, who repeated the claim.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have launched a defamation lawsuit against US podcaster and right-wing political commentator Candace Owens. https://t.co/29GSx4aJx4
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 24, 2025
