Ten people are on trial in France, accused of engaging in sexist online harassment of First Lady Brigitte Macron by spreading false and malicious claims about her.
The posts alleged that the French president’s wife is transgender and was born male under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux — the name of her older brother. Some also equated the 25-year age gap between the 72-year-old first lady and her 47-year-old husband to “pedophilia,” according to Agence France-Presse.
Brigitte Macron filed a cyberharassment complaint last year after messages and photos mocking her spread online. She told police the posts were “hateful” and had a devastating impact on her grandchildren, as well as on her own physical and mental health, which she said has “deteriorated” as a result, according to The New York Times.
She also testified during a 2024 hearing that years of online rumors — spread by right-wing outlets soon after her husband’s 2017 election — have damaged her reputation. “Every time I go on an international visit, someone brings it up,” she said. “There isn’t a single spouse of a Head of State who isn’t aware of it.”
The first lady did not attend the two-day trial, where ten defendants — eight men and two women, ages 41 to 65 — faced charges of cyberbullying and spreading false rumors about her sexuality, gender, and marriage.
If convicted, the defendants each face up to two years in prison and fines of 30,000 euros — about $35,000. A verdict is expected on January 5.
On October 28, Brigitte Macron’s youngest daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified that the rumors have forced her mother to be vigilant about how she dresses and poses in public, because “she knows her image can be distorted to promote lies and fallacious theories.”
Auzière added, “As a girl, a woman, and a mother, I wouldn’t wish what she’s going through on anyone.”
During the trial, several defendants downplayed their roles in spreading the rumors, claiming they lacked large social media followings and that speculation about the Macrons’ relationship was fair game because they are public figures.
They also said many of their posts merely reshared content from others — including American conservative commentator Candace Owens — and were meant as sarcasm.
In 2021, Jegousse released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel featuring an interview with self-described independent journalist Natacha Rey, who claimed that a three-year investigation had uncovered a “state-sponsored lie,” alleging that Brigitte Macron was born male, that her walk and jaw were too masculine, and that she was not the biological mother of her three children.
After Jegousse posted the video, it drew hundreds of thousands of views and the attention of both French and international media, according to France 24.
The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in Delaware against conservative influencer Candace Owens, who produced a video series titled “Becoming Brigitte.” In it, Owens alleged that Brigitte Macron was born male and had assumed the identity of a younger sister who died in childhood.
Owens, whose YouTube channel has 4.5 million subscribers, continues to stand by her claims. In a July podcast episode, she said she was eager to see what information the Macrons would have to disclose during the lawsuit’s “discovery” phase and even demanded that Brigitte Macron provide blood samples and childhood photos to “prove” she is female.
The Macrons’ U.S. attorney says the couple will present “scientific” evidence and photographs proving that the first lady is not transgender, according to a BBC report last month.
Ruby Corado plans to request a new court-appointed attorney after her current lawyer withdrew from her case.
The transgender advocate and founder of the now-defunct LGBTQ nonprofit Casa Ruby is scheduled to be sentenced on federal wire fraud charges on October 15.
A longtime fixture in D.C.’s transgender community, Corado was arrested in March 2024 and accused of diverting $150,000 from $1.3 million in federal COVID-era relief funds awarded to her nonprofit for her personal use.
Authorities in Indonesia arrested 34 men in Surabaya, the country’s second-largest city, later parading them in public to shame them for allegedly hosting a gay sex party at a local hotel.
According to local reports, residents had alerted police to “unusual activity” on one floor of the Midtown Hotel, located in the Ngagel area of Surabaya’s Wonokromo district. Acting on the tip, officers raided the hotel at 11 p.m. on Saturday, October 18, detaining the men in the early hours of Sunday.
The men were taken to Surabaya Police Headquarters for questioning. Officers said they seized evidence during the raid, including contraceptives, mobile phones, and other electronic devices.
Tampa Pride has canceled all its 2026 events and will take a one-year hiatus.
In a Facebook post on Sept. 19, the board reposted an Aug. 1 letter to former president Carrie West, whose 12-year tenure with the organization ended when his contract expired in August, announcing it would not be renewed.
"The current political and economic climate, including challenges with corporate sponsorships, reductions in county, state and federal grant funding, and the discontinuation of DEI programs under Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has made it increasingly difficult for our organization to sustain ongoing operations for 2026," the organization wrote.
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