Brigitte Macron Appeals in Gender Rumours Case

France's first lady has taken her case against two women over claims she used to be man to the highest appeals court after a lower court let them off, her lawyer said Monday.

On Thursday, the Paris appeals court overturned earlier convictions against the two women for spreading claims -- that went viral online -- that Brigitte Macron, 72, used to be a man.

Brigitte Macron filed a libel complaint against the two women after they posted a YouTube video in December 2021, alleging she had once been a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux -- who is actually Brigitte Macron's brother.

In the video, defendant Amandine Roy, a self-proclaimed spiritual medium, interviewed Natacha Rey, a self-described independent journalist, for four hours on her YouTube channel.

Rey spoke about the "state lie" and "scam" she claimed to have uncovered that Jean-Michel Trogneux had changed gender to become Brigitte, and then married the future president.

A lower court in September last year had ordered the two women to pay 8,000 euros ($9,400) in damages to Brigitte Macron, and 5,000 euros to her brother.

Brigitte Macron's lawyer Jean Ennochi told AFP Sunday that her brother, too, was taking his case against the dismissal of the charges to the highest appeals court, the Court de Cassation.