Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte has frequently been the target of rumours that she is transgender, with 10 people currently on trial in France for spreading such stories online. France's first lady is far from the only victim of this type of attack, says feminist historian Christine Bard, who explains that it aims to undermine women in positions of power.
RFI: Before Brigitte Macron, former United States First Lady Michelle Obama and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, as well as numerous female athletes, have been the target of rumours questioning their "true femininity" and claiming they are in fact transgender. Why do these types of allegations come up again and again in relation to women with a certain amount of power?
Christine Bard: We have inherited centuries of patriarchal history. Women who have attained a certain degree of power, however relative, have always been portrayed as unnatural, masculine women – masculinised by the power that they desired or that was attributed to them.
This is a way of reminding everyone at all times that in a patriarchal system, the roles assigned to each sex must be respected and that any deviation will be punished by public condemnation.
The beginning of the 21st century is no exception to this historical burden, and the conservative camp has stuck with this view. Despite progress in equal rights, we are still far from effective equality.
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If, even today, questioning "femininity" remains such an effective way of disempowering women in public life, what does this reveal about society's relationship with the female body?
The devaluation of women who are perceived as powerful takes the form of attacks targeting their bodies. People look for signs of masculinity in them and if they cannot find any, they invent them.
In addition, the masculinity that people believe they can see in these women in turn diminishes the masculinity of their partners. Isn't this the aim of the attacks on Brigitte Macron? They are targeting a woman, but also a couple – and not just any couple, the head of state and his partner.
What does this type of attack tell us about sexism and transphobia? Why is the mere suggestion that a woman is transgender enough to discredit her?
The rumour that Brigitte Macron is a transgender person comes at a time when transphobia is on the rise. The attack is sexist, transphobic and homophobic.
It is sexist because it uses a woman to target a man and calls into question the criteria for assessing "true femininity" through physical characteristics, gestures and dress. It reinforces a normative definition of femininity.
In the logic of transphobia, trans identity does not exist, cannot exist – for transphobes, "Brigitte" will always be "Jean-Michel" [Macron's brother, who American YouTubers Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy accused of having changed gender and assumed the identity "Brigitte"].
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This is a way of insinuating that the president of France is married to a man and is therefore homosexual – and therefore, by the logic of homophobia, cannot offer the same guarantee of virility.
The fact that people are receptive to this fake news provides a measure of the persistence, and even intensification, of sexist, homophobic and transphobic hate speech – which is a real cause for concern.
This interview was adapted from the original version in French and lightly edited for clarity.
