IT’S the very public legal row Brigitte Macron could have never expected to face: one to prove she is a biological woman.
And as the French president’s wife prepares to enter her bizarre battle, experts have revealed to The Sun for the first time exactly how she will be expected to do so…and the range of tests – detailed below – are astounding.
APBrigitte Macron is involved in a US defamation case against Candace Owens over gender rumours[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialExperts suggest six types of evidence could prove Brigitte Macron’s womanhood[/caption]
AFPFrench President Emmanuel Macron branded the allegations against his wife ‘false and fabricated’[/caption]
GettyThe Macrons have filed a 218-page lawsuit in Delaware, accusing Owens of a ‘global humiliation’ campaign[/caption]
The glamorous French First Lady, 70, now finds herself at the centre of a jaw-dropping US defamation case against American right-wing influencer Candace Owens.
Owens, who has millions of followers hanging on her every post, has vowed to “wage her entire professional reputation” on the claim Brigitte is secretly male.
For the Macrons, it’s nothing short of a nightmare – a campaign of “global humiliation” and “relentless bullying” that they say has tormented their family and gone viral around the world.
Now, the couple are preparing to fight back with the most intimate proof a woman can offer.
But experts warned that even then, die-hard trolls are unlikely to be convinced.
Dr Emma Hilton, a developmental biologist at the University of Manchester, told The Sun the First Lady could technically offer at least six types of evidence.
“It’s just such an appalling invasion of privacy as far as I’m concerned,” Dr Hilton said.
“I’m pretty horrified that it’s come to this.”
Claus Højbjerg Gravholt, a professor of endocrinology at Os University Hospital, agreed, blasting the row as absurd.
“I think it’s crazy,” he told The Sun.
“What’s the point in being so interested in the sex of a wife of a president of some country?
“France is a large country, but even if it was any other country, I would still think that is rather crazy.”
Pregnancy & childbirth
The strongest evidence, Dr Hilton said, would be showing she has carried a child.
“If you see a baby coming out of someone, you’re going to say, ‘yes, OK, that’s a woman’,” she commented wryly.
And photos of Brigitte Macron pregnant with her three children could be decisive.
“For me, it is just vanishingly unlikely that she’s not female,” Dr Hilton said.
“She would have to be one of these uniquely rare medical conditions in order to be male and be pregnant. It’s not going to happen.”
Shutterstock EditorialBrigitte faces cruel rumours claiming she was ‘born a man’ — and could be forced to prove otherwise in court[/caption]
GettyThe rumours, first pushed in France, have now been viewed all around the world[/caption]
Hormone levels
Doctors could check sex hormone levels – testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone – which differ in men and women.
Dr Hilton noted: “It’s something that’s been used for sports categories before.
“We use them to check the general sexual health of men and women in adulthood.”
Professor Gravholt added that hormone production is one of the four main layers doctors assess when determining sex.
He explained: “In the male, you would say, it’s preferentially testosterone, although males also produce some estrogen.
“And in females you would see that the ovaries predominantly produce estrogen.
“However, they also produce some testosterone. The levels there would be what you were looking for.”
“As I understand it, Brigitte Macron is past menopause, so therefore you would not expect any sizeable production of estrogen at her age.”
The ‘make male’ gene
Scientists can run a genetic test for the specific gene that triggers male development.
“It’s called the ‘make male’ gene. It’s the single trigger in humans to say you are going to be male,” Dr Hilton said.
And if it’s absent, it means the person is female.
AFPHormone levels, chromosomes and scans are among the tests experts say could prove Brigitte’s sex[/caption]
AFPDr Emma Hilton called the demand for proof ‘an appalling invasion of privacy’[/caption]
Chromosome screening
A simple screen could show whether Macron carries a Y chromosome – a marker of male sex.
This usually means taking a blood sample and looking for the presence of a Y chromosome, which is typically linked with male sex.
But chromosomes alone don’t always give a full answer, so doctors usually combine chromosome testing with other checks.
Menstrual history
Doctors could also review menstrual history, meaning whether someone has ever had periods, when they began, and how regular they are.
This information is closely tied to hormone production and ovarian function.
For example, if a person reports never having had periods, that can sometimes suggest a difference in reproductive anatomy or hormone levels.
Dr Hilton noted these intimate medical details are routinely considered in sex verification.
Proof of pregnancy
Another part of medical history that might be reviewed is whether a person has ever been pregnant.
A confirmed pregnancy is direct evidence that the person has a functioning uterus and ovaries, and that egg release (ovulation) has occurred.
And even without ongoing medical tests, pregnancy is considered strong biological proof of female reproductive capacity.
Again, this isn’t always straightforward, since some women may not be able to get pregnant for medical reasons — but when present, it’s an important piece of evidence.
What’s the point in being so interested in the sex of a wife of a president of some country?
Claus Højbjerg Gravholt
Ultrasounds & scans
Lastly, ultrasounds or medical scans could check for a uterus or ovaries.
“In terms of medical diagnostics, physical exams are a way to know if someone has a uterus, ovaries, and so on,” Dr Hilton said.
Professor Gravholt outlined a similar four-layer medical approach: chromosomes, gonads, hormone production, and internal or external genitalia.
He explained: “Normally a male would have 46 XY and a female would have 46 XX.
“However, we know of females with 46 XY and males with 46 XX, so that’s not enough.
“You then look at whether this person has testes or ovaries, and is it in concordance with the chromosomal setup.”
Prof Gravholt said that in medical practice, the tests themselves are straightforward, explaining: “The chromosomes and the hormones are just a blood sample, and then you would use ultrasound or MRI to show how the gonads and the internal and external genitals look.”
‘Public won’t let go’
But for Brigitte, this isn’t happening in a clinic – instead, it will take place in front of the entire world.
Despite all the possible avenues to collect medical evidence, the expert stressed that no matter how much proof Brigitte Macron presents, the so-called “conspiracy theorists” won’t let go.
“The people who are saying that Macron is a man won’t believe the tests,” she said.
“They’ll just say that the photos are faked… so it’s unclear to me whether something even to what I would call a diagnostic standard would even be believed.”
Professor Gravholt also slammed the circus around the French First Lady.
“I would think that this is simply not something that is appropriate for the public to discuss,” he said.
GettyExperts say even scientific proof may not silence the conspiracy theorists[/caption]
AP:Associated PressPhotos of Brigitte pregnant with her three children could be key courtroom evidence[/caption]
“Would any of us be interested in having the public discussing your chromosomes or my chromosomes or my gonads or your gonads? No.
“It’s certainly something that should reside within the realm of a patient-doctor relationship and not in the public domain.”
And the price of proving herself could be devastating.
Dr Hilton warned it forces Mrs Macron to reveal private gynaecological or pregnancy details to a baying global audience.
“These are medical concerns… it’s a woman’s right to reveal that where she feels fit, rather than to be pressured into doing so to satisfy a kind of social media audience,” she explained.
Even the process of testing – though medically routine – could feel humiliating.
“Pregnancy and your sex life and all those kinds of things that are your choice when it comes to wanting to talk about them or reveal them,” Hilton said.
“One would feel kind of offended, or even violated, in a situation like hers.”
Courtroom showdown
The Macrons have filed a 218-page lawsuit in Delaware accusing Owens of waging a “campaign of global humiliation.”
They say they begged her to retract the lies, but she doubled down instead.
“She is firmly resolved to do what it takes to set the record straight,” lawyer Tom Clare vowed — including presenting photos of Brigitte visibly pregnant.
“It is incredibly upsetting to think that you have to go and subject yourself to put this type of proof forward,” he said.
“But she’s willing to do it.”
The Elysée Palace is equally defiant.
An Palace source told The Sun: “All proof – from photographic to scientific analysis will be used to win this case.
“The claims are malicious and without any foundation at all.
“The similarity between Ms Macron and her three grown-up children is unmistakable.”
President Macron himself thundered: “This is about defending my honour! Because it’s nonsense.
“This is about upholding the truth. We’re talking about the civil status of the First Lady of France, a wife, a mother, a grandmother.”
These are medical concerns… it’s a woman’s right to reveal that where she feels fit, rather than to be pressured into doing so to satisfy a kind of social media audience.
Dr Emma Hilton
Owens, however, insists she’s standing on principle.
Owens’ lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss, arguing the case should not be heard in Delaware and claiming forcing her to defend it there would cause “substantial financial and operational hardship”.
She has insisted she believes the claims and defended them as free speech.
Owens’ fling in the Macron case reads: “In contravention of a sacred precept of U.S. Constitutional Law, the President and First Lady of France… have filed a baseless defamation suit against an independent American journalist who broadcasts a daily news and culture show from her basement in Nashville, Tennessee.
“The French president and his wife cynically avoided filing their Francocentric case in their home country… The reason is clear: this matter is not a legitimate legal action, but rather a transparent ruse orchestrated by Plaintiffs’ high-priced public relations firm.”
The filing goes on to break down three reasons a judge should dismiss the case.
It includes a lack of jurisdiction in Delaware; an expiration of France’s statute of limitations; and forum non conveniens – where a court, despite having the power to hear a case, can dismiss it because another court is a more suitable and appropriate place for the case to be heard.
GettyThe US case will hinge on whether Owens spread the claims with ‘actual malice’[/caption]
Macron & Brigette’s romance
EMMANUEL Macron, the youngest president in France’s history, met his future wife when he was just 15 years old.
Macron was Brigitte’s drama student in school – where she would read his writing out to the class.
When Macron hit the limelight, footage of him kissing his future wife on the cheek – when he was just a teen and she was his married teacher – emerged.
Macron, now 46, shared a classroom at a Catholic school with Brigitte’s daughter Laurence – who is the same age as him.
His parents were stunned when they learned that their son was romantically involved with his teacher as they believed he was actually in love with Laurence, reports Reuters.
Writer Anne Fulda, who penned the book Emmanuel Macron: A Perfect Young Man, spoke to the politician’s parents about the unconventional romance, which happened while Brigitte was still married to the father of her three children.
His parents were shocked by the explosive revelation and removed their teen son from the school in Amiens, in northern France, and sent him to finish his education in Paris.
Macron married his wife in 2007 after Brigitte’s previous marriage ended in divorce.
The former economics minister is step-father to his wife’s three adult children, including son Sebastien who is two years older than Macron.
Macron does not have any biological children with his wife, although he is also the step-grandfather of Brigitte’s seven grandchildren.