Lede
When a First Lady must prove biology for a podcast feud, the rot is not online. It is us.
What does not make sense
- Turning a woman’s body into court evidence to satisfy conspiracy clicks.
- “Free speech” used as cover for paid humiliation.
- Years of family photos ignored because a rumour pays better.
- Media attention for a claim already debunked. Repeated. Again.
- Great powers busy with culture war while real policy waits.
Sense check / The numbers
- The Macrons filed a U.S. defamation suit in July 2025 against Candace Owens. Brigitte Macron will submit photographs and scientific evidence to rebut the false claim she was “born male.” (The Guardian)
- Earlier French libel convictions against two rumour peddlers were overturned on appeal in July 2025. Fact checks noted the court did not rule on gender, only on defamation. (Le Monde.fr)
- Reuters and others have shown viral “proof” images were altered or misattributed. (Reuters)
- This is a pattern. Gender-bait conspiracies targeting women in public life are spreading for profit and politics. (19th News)
The sketch
- Scene one: Courtroom projector shows family photos. The caption reads, “Exhibit A: common sense.”
- Scene two: A podcaster counts ad reads while saying “just asking questions.”
- Scene three: An empty policy desk. On it: schools, hospitals, climate files, gathering dust.
What to watch, not the show
- Platform incentives that reward dehumanising rumours. (19th News)
- Courts dragged into identity theatre while urgent policy is ignored. (The Guardian)
- Recycled fakes dressed as “investigation.” (Reuters)
The Hermit take
If proof of womanhood needs a docket number, the culture is not advanced. It is bored and cruel.
Keep or toss
Toss the circus. Keep the humans.
Sources
- The Guardian — Macrons to submit scientific evidence in U.S. case against Candace Owens.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/18/macrons-submit-scientific-evidence-us-court-prove-brigitte-not-man - People — Brigitte Macron will present photographic and scientific evidence in court.
Source: https://people.com/brigitte-macron-photographic-scientific-evidence-prove-shes-woman-11812716 - The Times — Photographs and expert testimony planned in U.S. libel suit.
Source: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/brigitte-macron-to-submit-photographs-to-court-proving-she-is-a-woman-z6lmnl5ps - Le Monde — Paris appeals court overturned earlier defamation convictions.
Source: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2025/07/10/french-court-clears-defendants-in-french-first-lady-brigitte-macron-s-gender-rumours-trial_6743245_7.html - Reuters Fact Check — Court did not rule on gender; online claims are false.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/french-court-ruled-defamation-case-appeals-not-brigitte-macrons-gender-2025-07-31/ - Reuters Fact Check — Altered “young man” image debunked.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/altered-image-depicts-brigitte-macron-young-man-2024-08-09/ - The 19th — How gender-bait conspiracies target women in public life.
Source: https://19thnews.org/2025/07/candace-owens-brigitte-macron-lawsuit-conspiracy/