A French court has imposed fines on women who referred to Brigitte Macron, the wife of President Emmanuel Macron, as a man, highlighting ongoing issues of defamation and public discourse in France.

Paris court imposes an €8,000 ($8,800) fine on two women and instructs them to compensate the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron for making false claims about her being born male.

In 2021, gossip started to circulate after Amandine Roy, a self-proclaimed “spiritual medium,” interviewed independent journalist Natacha Rey. During the interview, it was claimed that Brigitte Macron had been born as Jean-Michel Trogneux.

The interview video clips were spread on the internet, and by December, the hashtag #JeanMichelTrogneux gained significant recognition across the country.

The following year, Brigitte Marie-Claude Trogneux, formerly known as Mrs. Macron, filed a lawsuit against the two women for defaming her and invading her privacy.

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On Thursday, suspended fines amounting to €500 were imposed on Roy and Rey. Additionally, they were directed to pay compensation of €8,000 to Mrs. Macron along with a sum of €5,000 owed to her brother – the real Jean-Michel Trogneux.

Rey asserted during her interview with Roy that she had undertaken three years of research to uncover Brigitte Macron’s rumored secret. According to Rey, evidence supporting an alleged gender transition by Ms. Macron has been secured in a sealed envelope entrusted with a well-known lawyer whose name was not disclosed at the time of the conversation. However, if France were ever mandated Covid-19 vaccinations, such information would be released for public access as declared by Rey.

Last year, President Emmanuel Macron expressed to reporters that the most concerning aspect of “false information and fabricated scenarios” is their ability to convince people.

In the past, Emmanuel Macron has been questioned about his marriage to Brigitte, who is 24 years older than him and was once his teacher. During the 2017 election campaign in France, he refuted claims of being homosexual by stating that such accusations were hurtful primarily towards Brigitte.