French first lady Brigitte Macrons pursuit of conspiracy theorists who claim that shes transgender entered a criminal court in Paris on Monday in a case against 10 people accused of promoting the unsubstantiated rumor.The trial follows a defamation lawsuit filed in the United States by Macron and her husband, President Emmanuel Macron, at the end of July, in connection with the same claims promoted online that Brigitte Macron was assigned male at birth. Related Frances first lady to provide photographic & scientific evidence in court that shes cisgender Mme. Macron was absent as the trial opened, AFP reports. Eight men and two women, aged 41 to 60, are accused of cyber-harassment targeting the first lady.The French first lady filed a complaint against the defendants in August 2024, leading to an investigation into her cyber-harassment. Arrests followed in December and February. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today If convicted, the accused face up to two years in prison.Conspiracy theories targeting Macron include claims that she is really her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux, and that he transitioned to become the wife of Macron when the future French president was still a teenage boy.The age difference between the couple Brigitte Macron is 72, while the president is 47 gave rise to charges of pedophilia. The couple met when Emmanuelle Macron was 14, several years before they became romantically involved. Two of the ten accused defendants, Natacha Rey, a self-described journalist, and Amandine Roy, a spiritual medium, have already been found liable in a civil suit brought by Mme. Macron. The women were found guilty of slander in September last year, but an appeals court overturned their convictions based on claims of freedom of expression in July. The first lady is appealing that decision to Frances Supreme Court.Mme. Macrons whack-a-mole crusade against conspiracy theorists obsessed with her gender will cross the Atlantic to the United States when a defamation lawsuit filed by both Macron and her husband against Looney Tunes podcaster Candace Owens goes to trial.The MAGA muckraker produced a years-long series called Becoming Brigitte, claiming Mme. Macron was born a man.The presidential couple plan to offer scientific evidence and photographic proof that the first lady is not transgender, their U.S. lawyer says.Owens has taken particular delight in the salacious rumors, twisting the facts to include accusing the French president of being gay and being raped by his pre-transition pedophile male lover when he was a teen.Brigitte Macron has said that she tried to ignore the outrageous rumors for years, but when they began to affect her parents and family, she made a decision to fight back. The first ladys family is well-known for owning and operating a chain of chocolate stores in northern France.After his own long silence on the issue, President Macron addressed the rumors a year ago in March, in a brief statement to the press outside Place Vendme in Paris, saying the false claims had hurt him and his wife and impacted his family life.Said Owens not long after: I will say this until Im blue in the face. Brigitte Macron is a man.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.