Transvestigation

Transvestigation is a portmanteau of "trans investigation". It refers both to a rather unusual conspiracy theory, and the bizarre methodology of its adherents. It proposes that some group of people (possibly a large portion of the world population) are secretly transgender, sometimes as part of an Illuminati or New World Order plot. Adherents to this belief, called transvestigators, can be found on various websites such as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, 4chan, Twitter, Reddit, and blogging platforms.
It often focuses on powerful or elite individuals, such as celebrities, historical figures, models, actors, or politicians. Though, the accusation of being secretly transgender has also sometimes been levied against fellow conspiracy theorists, essentially as a means of characterizing another as an agent provocateur, or infiltrator. When focused on "elite" groups, however, they are in their own terms exposing "Elite Gender Inversion" (EGI). This can often tie into claims of Satanic ritual abuse, with conspiracy theories about "elites" secretly changing their gender and abusing children in exchange for influence in society. As with Flat Earth, there can be a religious fundamentalist component: transvestigators sometimes cite Biblical passages to support their claims.
==Michelle Obama==
One especially common target of the transvestigators' scrutiny has been Michelle Obama; they claim that she is a transgender woman. Some claim that her original name is "Michael Obama".(July 22, 2022) "False story about former first lady's mother originated as satire". The Associated Press Alex Jones was involved with promoting this theory (because of course he was).Michele Theil (January 7, 2020). "Conspiracy theorist claims Michelle Obama is transgender and we're so very, very tired". PinkNews. Also picked up by the right-wing clogosphere, the theory has been compared with birtherism and criticized for stereotyping African American women as masculine. One recurring point made by Michelle Obama transvestigations is that there are no publicly available photos of her while she was visibly pregnant. Her two children, Malia and Sasha, were born in 1998 and 2001 respectively.Xana O'Neill (June 10, 2009). "Birthday Girl Sasha Obama Celebrates in London". NBC4 Washington. Quote: "Michelle Obama took her two young daughters to see the Lion King at the Lyceum Theater in London's West End as part of Sasha's eighth birthday celebration."
Public interest in the Obama family would have been much lower at that time, since Barack was merely a state-level legislator in Illinois."President Barack Obama". Barack Obama Presidential Library. For her part, Michelle was working as an associate dean at the University of Chicago around this time, a title that wouldn't exactly have caused the paparazzi to follow her around.(June 6, 1996). "Obama named first Associate Dean of Student Services". University of Chicago Chronicle. Vol. 15, No. 19. Thus it's understandable that there are no publicly-sourced photos of Michelle from these two relatively brief periods. It is likely that some exist in the private collections of the Obama family. They have released previously-unseen photos of their 1992 marriage ceremony multiple times before, demonstrating that such a privately-held collection exists.Erica Gonzales (November 16, 2016). "Barack and Michelle Obama Had the Sweetest Wedding Photoshoot". Harper's Bazaar.Amber Raiken (October 3, 2022). "Barack and Michelle Obama share sweet tributes in honour of their 30th wedding anniversary". The Independent. Needless to say however, they do not need to compromise their personal privacy to please some Internet kooks who would just move the goalposts the second any such photos were released anyway.
Many of the other claims made regarding Michelle are based in complete fabrication or obvious misrepresentation, and make the argument about missing pregnancy photos look positively intellectual by comparison. Digitally altered photos appear to be a recurring theme: examples include fake photos of her with a beard,Moya Lothian-McLean (May 18, 2020). "The strange trend of Republicans spreading rumours that Michelle Obama is transgender, explained". indy100. a crotch bulge in her dress,Adrian Wong (June 6, 2023). "Do Photos Prove Michelle Obama Is Transgender?!". Tech ARP. or an excessively masculinized appearance.Ciara O'Rourke (May 8, 2023). "Another altered photo of Michelle Obama shared as part of unfounded conspiracy theory". PolitiFact.Gabrielle Settles (May 28, 2021). "Image of Michelle Obama is absolutely altered". PolitiFact. Another "proof" cited: videos of Barack Obama referring to somebody named "Michael". Supposedly, these clips are of him referring to Michelle.Reiss Smith (May 18 2020). "Right-wingers are spreading rumours that Michelle Obama is trans – again – and it all stems back to this failed Republican congressional candidate". PinkNews. In at least two cases, these clips were confirmed to have been entirely misrepresented. In one clip of a 2015 speech, he was quoting a woman who spoke about her husband named Michael.(September 20, 2022). "Obama misrepresented in video quoting health care recipient". The Associated Press.Ankita Kulkarni (October 21, 2022). "False: Barack Obama called his wife 'Michael'". Logically. In a second clip, this time of a 2011 speech, he was referring to the son of a former US Navy admiral, who is likewise named Michael.Loreben Tuquero (May 23, 2023). "Video does not show Obama calling his wife 'Michael'". PolitiFact.(May 23, 2023). "Video does not show Barack Obama calling Michelle Obama 'Michael'". Reuters.
A rather peculiar insinuation advanced by some transvestigators is the idea that Michelle must be transgender because she utilized in vitro fertilization (IVF) to achieve pregnancy, after experiencing a miscarriage.bujichef (June 25, 2023). "😏😏😏😏😏#IYKYK ...". TikTok. This is a complete non sequitur unless you believe the elites were hiding technology capable of making trans women pregnant in the 1990s. This may also be a result of confusing IVF for surrogacy, a completely separate method of having children. Both methods are utilized by many cisgender women.
Michelle Obama appears to be where the transvestigators really got their start on the Internet, although there were lower-profile rumors about other celebrities for many years prior to this.Barbara Mikkelson et al. (April 6, 2001). "Jamie Lee Curtis: Male and Female?". Snopes.Barbara Mikkelson (February 23, 2005). "Was Ciara Born a Man?". Snopes. It likely served as a "gateway" to transvestigating other famous people. If you already accept that one "elite" is secretly transgender as part of an elaborate cover-up, it isn't a big leap to consider there may be others. Once you've bought that, you may begin to wonder if there is a nefarious reason or purpose behind all these elites secretly being transgender. The approximate origin of the current incarnation of this idea that Michelle Obama is secretly transgender (and perhaps the whole wider "elite gender inversion" theory, although in truth its exact origins may be unknown) seems to be a joke made by Joan Rivers in 2014.Lisa Respers France (July 4, 2014; updated October 20, 2014). "Joan Rivers jokes Obama is gay, first lady is transgender". CNN. Alex Jones insinuated that Michelle may be transgender shortly after Rivers's comment. He claimed that she has "shoulders that are wider than a man's, which physiologically doesn't happen".Elias Isquith (July 10, 2014). "Alex Jones calls Michelle Obama 'first tranny'". Salon.
Rivers died the same year, and conspiracy theorists concluded that she was killed for telling the truth. This appears to have lent more momentum to the theory.Adrian Wong (March 2, 2023). "Was Joan Rivers Killed For Insulting The Obamas?!". Tech ARP. However, online videos claimed Michelle was secretly trans at least as far back as February 2013.Owen Carry (June 16, 2023). "The Controversial 'Michelle Obama Is A Man' Conspiracy Theory, Explained". KnowYourMeme.Phillip Hamilton, Zach, and "Lake: Shadow Legends" (June 15, 2023). "Michelle Obama Is a Man Conspiracy Theory". KnowYourMeme. According to Lead Stories, an IFCN-affiliated fact-checking outfit, edited photos of her with a crotch bulge have existed since at least 2010.
==Further examples==
Instances of transvestigation are countless: nobody is spared from their detection. Not J. Robert Oppenheimer,Miles Klee (August 21, 2023). "Why Are the Girlies So Into Phrenology?". Rolling Stone. Lady Gaga,kanwaljeet (January 11, 2021). "Lady Gaga talks about penis rumour". YouTube. Clipped from 60 Minutes Overtime (interviews originally recorded in 2010–2011).Sirena Bergman (April 12, 2020). "LGBTQ+ fans delighted at Lady Gaga's perfect response to rumours that she 'has a penis' in resurfaced interview". indy100. Anne Frank, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kyle Rittenhouse,Mikael Thalen (August 5, 2024). "QAnon launches transvestigation into Kyle Rittenhouse after he wavered on Trump". The Daily Dot.Evan Urquhart. "Fact Check: Is Kyle Rittenhouse Transgender?". Assigned Media.Horrifying Houseguest (November 19, 2021). "'ACQUITTED: A jury cleared Kyle Rittenhouse of all charges' — The event was FAKE — The arrest was FAKE — The trial was FAKE — Kyle Rittenhouse is a covert TG actress...". Twitter. Archived on March 2, 2022. Elon Musk, Joseph Stalin, Andrew Tate,"Conspiracy theorists claim Andrew Tate is trans after not-very-revealing swimsuit pic goes viral" by Michele Thiel, Pink News, 2024 August 9 nor even J.K. Rowling. Adolf Hitler (also known as "CLITLER" by someFlat Earth Dad (August 25, 2017). "ADOLF HITLER WAS A WOMAN transvestigation of the Fuhrer #CLITLER". YouTube.) was exposed as a "Gay & Transgender Man With Fake Mustache" in one enlightening video.Barnaby Nagy (August 1, 2019). Hitler Transvestigation: Gay & Transgender Man With Fake Mustache. Odysee. Allegedly, even the well-known drag queen RuPaul is actually "a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman". Some even believe that cisgender people are nearly extinct. This can be proven by photographing strangers in public and "analyzing" them.
In one particularly unhinged case, the Flat Earth community chased off one of their own adherents when she was falsely "exposed" as transgender. She provided them with photos of herself in childhood as a girl, but even that wasn't enough — they claimed she had been a boy who took the place of the girl in the photos after her death.
The first lady of France, Brigitte Macron, was accused of having been born "Jean-Michel Trogneux" by far-right French activists.(December 22, 2021) "Brigitte Macron to launch legal action over transphobic rumour". The Connexion. This was despite the fact that she had given birth to several children — the transvestigators claimed that another woman was the true mother.(May 17, 2022) « Jean-Michel Trogneux » : un couple victime collatérale de la rumeur transphobe visant Brigitte Macron (in French). Sud Ouest. She later took legal action against those who spread the rumor.(December 22, 2021) "Brigitte Macron takes legal action against false rumours she was born a man". Reuters. This conspiracy theory about Brigitte Macron was further propagated into English discourse, by Candace Owens.Ari Drennen and Alyssa Tirrell (June 25, 2024). "Transvestigation Nation: Right-wing media figures’ obsession with trans people is breaking their brains". Media Matters for America.
In 2021, British national Benjamin Glynn was convicted in Singapore of breaking laws that mandated mask-wearing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Publicity around the case drew attention to his social media, which documented his belief that just about every public figure in the world is trans; including everyone in Hollywood and the entire British Royal Family. According to Glynn, Elton John is a trans man and gave birth to Princes William and Harry because their mother Princess Diana was also trans."The Mind of Benjamin Glynn As Seen Through His Tweets", by u/GG_of_EIC
In early April 2023, transvestigators claimed that former Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe's cis girlfriend, Erin Darke, must be trans due her height (she is taller than Radcliffe, who is 5'5") and facial structure. This was despite the couple having announced that Darke was pregnant with their first child only two weeks previously.(April 12, 2023) «Η σύντροφος του Ντάνιελ Ράντκλιφ είναι τρανς γυναίκα»: Η θεωρία συνωμοσίας που «γέννησε» μια φωτογραφία (in Greek). LiFO. They welcomed the baby by the end of April.
==Methodology==
Transvestigator methods (such as they are) of ascertaining whether somebody is transgender, often involve a "radical oversimplification of the human skeleton" — photographs of a person are sometimes compared with simple geometric shapes or lines as "evidence". That is, someone's body is compared with a "universal ideal" of man or woman's bodily ratios and shapes. If they don't line up, something must be fishy — an astounding lack of comprehension in how wide the range of different human anatomies can be — and they may even be (mis)aligned for reasons as silly as "the transvestigator doesn't understand how geometry and photographic distortions like camera angles can clash", since they aren't actually in the room to be measured. That is to take just one of the lower-hanging fruit among the many false premises their conclusions often rely on. The diagrams and "explanatory" videos created by transvestigators in illustration of this method have received (often derisive, satirical, or critical) attention online for their surreal, sometimes even creepily-objectifying qualities.Phillip Hamilton (May 16, 2023). "Transvestigation". KnowYourMeme. Quote: "Transvestigation became increasingly popular on most social media platforms throughout the 2020s, including Instagram and Twitter, where it has also become the subject of mockery by those outside the movement."
Sometimes transvestigators will use more conventional, informal stereotypes about what makes a man or a woman in their analysis. This can be paired with the method described above. Something as simple as a woman having an Adam's apple, or having wider shoulders than the average woman, can be given as absolute proof that she is actually a man. This fails to grasp the existence of outliers, or even just how averages work — an average almost inherently has people within the group being examined who do not meet it. In the case of gender averages, there are literally billions of people who do not meet the exact averages for any given trait. Some of the gender stereotypes applied by transvestigators as proof can be quite extreme, e.g. a man with "bright" eyes must be a woman; a woman resting her arm on somebody's shoulder must be a man (yes, really).Jamie Raines (June 7, 2023). "Everyone is Trans | The Transvestigators". YouTube. Timestamps: 3:12; 4:00–4:30. Failing to uphold any kind of real process or evidence though, some opt to simply trust their intuition.
==Impact and influences==
Transvestigation can have a detrimental effect on its adherents, with some accusing family, friends, or acquaintances of being in on the transgender plot. Even some elected politicians have promoted the theory that Michelle Obama is transgender. 
In recent years, female cisgender athletes have been scrutinized for being "too masculine". As a result, at least one girl was investigated in an official regard after false claims that she is transgender. This incident has been compared with transvestigation conspiracy theories that have emerged online. Similarly, cisgender women have been attacked or accosted in public, for example when trying to use the bathroom, due to things even as simple as wearing a short haircut.James Factora (July 12, 2023). "Two Cisgender People Were Killed in Separate Attacks Motivated by Transphobia". Them.(May 16, 2016). "Woman mistaken for transgender harassed in Walmart bathroom". The News-Times."Women are getting harassed in bathrooms because of anti-transgender hysteria". Vox.(June 2, 2023). "This cis woman and her disabled child were ousted from a Kansas library bathroom due to anti-trans ban". Alabama Media Group.(January 19, 2021). "Butch lesbians are facing 'increasing harassment' in public toilets". Diva.Jennifer Lee (May 14, 2008). "Woman Wins a Settlement Over Her Bathroom Ouster". The New York Times.Mitch Kellaway (November 7, 2017). "Woman Sues Restaurant That Ejected Her From Bathroom for Looking 'Like a Man'". The Advocate.Shannon Power (October 22, 2018). "Lesbian kicked out of bowling alley because she used the women’s restroom". Gay Star News.Adam Forgie (December 3, 2018). "Grandma mistakenly booked into men's jail, staff thought she was transgender". KUTV.Eric Nicholson (April 29, 2016). "Self-Appointed Bathroom Cop Catches Dallas Woman Using Women's Restroom". Dallas Observer.Christopher Wiggins (November 1, 2022). "Cis Woman Mistaken as Transgender Records Being Berated in Bathroom". The Advocate.
Thus, while it may be easy to dismiss transvestigators as a small group of Internet kooks, perhaps they aren't so far from the mainstream these days. As such, Gawker described how a paranoid defense of "true womanhood" against transgender women is linked to the transvestigator mindset. Otherwise, transvestigation conspiracy theories have been observed in action as a gateway into other conspiracy movements such as QAnon and the anti-gender movement. Workers' Liberty, a socialist outlet, observed similarities between transvestigation and antisemitic conspiracy theories. Additionally, their methodology has been compared to phrenologyKristen Thomason (June 22, 2023). "Transvestigation: The new eugenics". Baptist News Global. — an Adam's apple is just a bump near the head, right?
==Possible causes==
Based on a 2022 survey, Americans have an insanely disproportionate view of United States demographics. Respondents guessed, on average, that transgender people are about 21% of the US population (in reality it's more like 1%, if even that). Even when weighted, the respondents' estimate was 12%. This kind of response wasn't exclusive to transgender people: similarly disproportionate estimates were given, for instance, of military veterans, Jews, atheists, Native Americans, and millionaires.Taylor Orth (March 15, 2022). "​​From millionaires to Muslims, small subgroups of the population seem much larger to many Americans. YouGov. But maybe this is why some transvestigators believe there are transgender people hiding behind every corner: poor understanding of demographics.
Media Matters for America proposes:
A February 2024 VICE Australia report written by Patrick Lenton in partial collaboration with Dr. Jay Daniel Thompson (an academic who writes on conspiracy theories), offers some further analysis. Lenton writes: "Extreme scrutiny of celebrities is nothing new — it's why the paparazzi exist, it's why gossip magazines and sites thrive, it's why memoirs were invented. We're fascinated by these rich and beautiful idiots. Transvestigation takes this scrutiny a step further into somewhere weird and extremely bigoted. … But the key danger with the transvestigation conspiracy [theory] is that it could further promote hostile and dehumanising attitudes about trans and gender diverse communities. Because that's the thing about tranvestigation — while it's defined by extreme examples, it still follows the same logic towards trans people that governs TERFs and other transphobes. It still relies on the idea that there is a correct or incorrect way of expressing gender — transvestigators have just decided it's because of a huge, interconnected celebrity conspiracy. Ultimately, it's all about policing how people of certain genders should look and behave, which is precisely what more 'moderate' anti-trans types still do to trans people and other members of the LGBTQIA+ community."Patrick Lenton (February 8, 2024). "A Wild Investigation of Transvestigators, the People Who Think Celebs Are All Trans". VICE Australia.
Dr. Thompson added: "This conspiracy movement has its genesis in sources that include ongoing rumours and urban legends about the sexual and sexed lives of famous people, and moral panics about trans and gender/sexual diversity, and specifically the allegedly harmful impact this is having on young people. … The 'transvestigation' theory reads like a mash-up of QAnon, celebrity gossip and the myriad anti-trans conspiracies. In all of these theories, 'innocent' —– read: apparently asexual-but-soon-to-be-heterosexual-and-cisgender —– young people are having their livelihood threatened by duplicitous, sexually predatory elites." Lenton writes of his exchange with Thompson: "He also points out that transvestigation shares a lot in common with other online conspiracies, and is sometimes based on the assumption that 'trans' is a nefarious invention of sinister forces like Big Pharma or billionaires like George Soros. For most transvestigators, this process of mass 'inversion' is just one aspect of societal corruption. In their view, it is a practice sitting alongside other forms of widespread cultural breakdown, like pizzagate-esque child trafficking and adrenochrome consumption."
==See also==
*Baphomet, who some transvestigators believe is a subject of worship by transgender elites
*Gaydar
*Outing — what a transvestigation "exposé" would be if it was accurate
*Passing
*Reptilians
*Jonanism
*"Stealth" and "being in the closet" — scenarios in which some people actually do conceal being transgender (albeit, boringly, not as a Satanic Illuminati plot)
*Toupée fallacy, which must have broken transvestigators' brains
==External links==
*Transvestigation entry at Wiktionary (one of Wikipedia's younger siblings)
*Transvestigation entry at the GSSO (Gender, Sex, and Sexual Orientation) online resource
*Transvestigation: What to Know About the Bizarre and Transphobic Conspiracy Theory, by Anna Merlan for Teen Vogue
*Premium Episode 179: Tranvestigation feat Jane Ost, by (sample audio)
*Transvestigation: The Conspiracy Theory That Everyone Is Transgender, by 
*The Conspiracy Theorists Who Think All Celebrities Are Secretly Trans, by Hayden Vernon for Vice
*The Great Transvestigation, by Gemma Stone
*"Transvestigation", a meme entry by KnowYourMeme
*What Does 'Transvestigation' Mean, And Who Are 'Transvestigators'?, an editorial by KnowYourMeme
*Transphobia and Right-Wing Paranoia Are a Dangerous Mix, by Parker Molloy
==Notes==
==References==
Category:4chan
Category:Conspiracy theories
Category:Internet kooks
Category:Neologisms
Category:Pseudohistory
Category:QAnon
Category:Satanism
Category:Sexism
Category:Transgender
Category:Transphobia
Category:Unified conspiracy theory
Category:Pseudoscience