Conspiracy Theories Target Prominent Women: Transphobia & Gender

Owens’ claim is one example of a bigger fad of conspiracy theory theories targeting prominent women in national politics and culture, consisting of previous very first lady Michelle Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris. Conspiracy theory researchers say that’s because these ladies are prominent, politically left-leaning and break gender stereotypes each time when the conservative activity favors typical gender duties.

WNBA basketball celebrity Brittney Griner: In 2022, Griner was apprehended in Russia and punished to nine years in prison on medicine costs. As Biden management officials functioned to return Griner to the united state, social media sites users distributed false articles stating she was actually a man.

Transphobia and Racism in Conspiracy Theories

Aria Halliday, a College of Kentucky women and sex researches professor, said these assaults are rooted in transphobia and, in the cases of females like Griner and Obama, racism. People pushing these narratives make every effort to continue the “falsehood that females like Obama, Macron, and others are not women, for that reason restricting the range of what females can appear like, do, and just how they take part in culture.”.

The ‘Transvestigating’ Conspiracy Theory Tactic

The term “transvestigating” defines when conspiracy theory philosophers start questioning a person’s gender and charging them of being transgender, Penney stated, and it’s ended up being a common assault. GLAAD, a nonprofit advocacy team that works to counter discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals in the media, defines the practice as an “instance of anti-LGBTQ online hate and disinformation.”.

French President Emmanuel Macron and the initial girl filed the suit more than a year after Owens initially made headings for advertising the false case that Brigitte Macron was birthed a man called Jean-Michel Trogneux. (Trogneux is Brigitte’s olderbrother.).

“Asserting that they’re literally disguising their true identity and they’re doing these things behind the scenes is a means of mapping anxieties and anxiousness about wider sex problems in national politics and culture onto them directly,” Penney stated.

Email interview with Aria S. Halliday, an associate teacher in the Division of Sex and Women’s Studies Program in African American and Africana Studies at the College of Kentucky, July 24, 2025.

The legal action declares that, since March 2024, Owens repetitively utilized the false declaration “to promote her independent platform, gain notoriety, and earn money,” while overlooking “all credible evidence negating her claim.” The legal complaint said that after the Macrons asked for a retraction, Owens struck back by launching an eight-part podcast series, “Becoming Brigitte.”.

Challenging Gender Norms Fuels Attacks

Michael Mark Cohen, an American research studies and African American researches teacher at the University of California, Berkeley, claimed women such as Macron, Obama, Griner and others were likely targeted since their talents, accomplishments and ambition break stereotypical sex norms.

French Head Of State Emmanuel Macron, left, speaks with Britain’s King Charles III, as they stroll with their spouses Brigitte Macron, centre right, and Britain’s Queen Camilla, right, at Windsor Castle, throughout the Macrons’ UK visit July 9, 2025. (AP).