Right-wing trolls reignite rumors of Michelle Obama being transgender amid speculation she might run for VP
Following the release of Michelle Obama's new Netflix documentary 'Becoming,' baseless rumors that she's a transgender woman have once again begun making the rounds online. Right-wing conspiracists and online trolls have long parroted the theory that the former first lady is transgender, with DeAnna Lorraine the latest to peddle the claim. Lorraine, who had hoped to run against Nancy Pelosi in the November election but won only 4,600 primary votes to Pelosi's 190,000, hinted at the rumor in a tweet late last month.
"Michelle Obama is releasing a documentary on Netflix called Becoming," she tweeted. "I wonder what she’s becoming."
Several of her followers seemed to agree with her, with one tweeting that it was possible because of how boyish she looked in her childhood pictures. "Her baby picture is a bit suspicious," they wrote. "Looks like they took the boy picture, added some hair, a ponytail out the side, and smashed that ear in to not look so boyish. Hmmm...."
"She's becoming the first Trans woman to run for POTUS. She will win and the Dems will gain control of both the House and the Senate because of the turnout & voting straight ticket. It will be the death of America. God has forsaken the US," another wrote.
When confronted about the claims, Lorraine doubled down in another tweet on May 5 where she implied Michelle was gunning for the position of vice president. "I honestly wonder if Michelle Obama has the ‘balls’ to face the scrutiny that she would come under if she signed on to be Biden’s VP," she wrote.
While Biden has admitted he would be open to picking the former first lady as his running-mate and that he would "take her in a heartbeat," Michelle has repeatedly squashed such suggestions.
"There's zero chance," she said in an interview last year when asked if she would consider inserting herself in the presidential race. "There are so many ways to improve this country and build a better world, and I keep doing plenty of them, from working with young people to helping families lead healthier lives. But sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office will never be one of them. It’s just not for me."
On her website, Lorraine describes herself as an "avid men’s and father’s rights activist” and an “outspoken critic of modern feminism" who believes "the pathway to Mak[ing] American Great Again” involves restoring her idea of American values, including "relationships between men and women, and the family unit."
Her touting the transgender theory is nothing new, however. The claim that Michelle is transgender resurfaces quite often and is regularly cited by those who believe comedian Joan Rivers was murdered as part of a cover-up because she knew about her true gender identity.
Most of those who believe in the rumor also point to a video titled 'Michelle Obama is a transgender man,' which relies on a number of racist stereotypes regarding black women's bodies, including how those with her kind of build are "masculine."