Transvestigation

{{bronze}}
[[File:Michelle obama transvestigation.jpg|thumb|right|225px|An edited image used to claim that Michelle Obama is secretly transgender. The original footage differs from this supposed screenshot.<ref name="LeadStories">Alan Duke (July 30, 2019). [https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2019/07/fake-news-photo-does-not-show-michelle-obama-penis.html "Fake News: Photo Does NOT Show Michelle Obama With A Penis"]. ''Lead Stories''.</ref>]]
{{conspiracy}}
{{cquote|Another thing that gets me are transvestigations, conspiracies about people's gender, like Justin Bieber being a girl and Miley Cyrus being a guy. It’s just so stupid.|||Cami Knodel, a [[Flat Earth]]er, experiencing a [[Stopped clock|sudden outbreak of common sense]]<ref>Mack Lamoureux (August 10, 2018). [https://www.vice.com/en/article/vbjxay/we-asked-flat-earthers-what-the-dumbest-conspiracy-is "We Asked Flat Earthers What The Dumbest Conspiracy Is"]. ''Vice News''.</ref>}}

'''Transvestigation''' is a [[portmanteau]] of "trans investigation". It refers both to a rather unusual [[conspiracy theory]], and the [[Fractal wrongness|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.<ref name="FOX8"/><ref name="MELMagazine">{{Cite news |last=Klee |first=Miles |title=Unhinged 'Transvestigators' Think They're the Only Cis People Left |work=MEL Magazine |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/transvestigator-celebrity-conspiracy-theories |access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref><ref name="OffTheEdge"/> Adherents to this belief, called '''transvestigators''', can be found on various websites such as [[Facebook]], [[TikTok]], [[YouTube]], [[4chan]], [[Twitter]], [[Reddit]], and blogging platforms.<ref name="MELMagazine"/><ref name="Facta"/><ref name="BaptistNewsGlobal"/>

It often focuses on powerful or [[elite]] individuals, such as celebrities, historical figures, models, actors, or [[politicians]].<ref name="FOX8">{{Cite news |last=Mikkelsen |first=Emily |date=August 29, 2022 |title=What are 'transvestigators?' Conspiracy alleges numerous celebrities, politicians secretly transgender |work=FOX8 WGHP |url=https://myfox8.com/news/what-are-transvestigators/ |access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref><ref name="WorkersLiberty">{{Cite news |last=Cassidy |first=Natalia |date=September 13, 2022 |title=The "Tranvestigators" |work=Workers' Liberty |url=https://www.workersliberty.org/story/2022-09-13/tranvestigators |access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref><ref name="CzechLUI">{{Cite news |last=Dobešová |first=Mirka |title=Všechny vaše oblíbené herečky jsou muži, ale Arnold Schwarzenegger je žena: svět konspirací zachvátil fenomén transvestigace |language=cs|work=LUI |url=https://www.lui.cz/lide-zivot/18329-vsechny-vase-oblibene-herecky-jsou-muzi-ale-arnold-schwarzenegger-je-zena-svet-konspiraci-zachvatil-fenomen-transvestigace |access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref> 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.<ref name="MELMagazine"/><ref name="OffTheEdge"/> When focused on "elite" groups, however, they are in their own terms exposing "'''Elite Gender Inversion'''" (EGI).<ref name="Gawker"/><ref name="Facta">{{Cite news |last=Bianchi |first=Leonardo |date=September 20, 2022 |title=La bizzarra teoria complottista dell'"inversione di genere delle élite" |language=it |work=Facta |url=https://facta.news/storie/2022/09/20/complotto-inversione-genere-elite/ |access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Them">{{Cite news |last=Riedel|first=Samantha|date=April 6, 2023|title=Transphobes Believe That Daniel Radcliffe's Pregnant Cis Girlfriend Is Trans|work=Them|url=https://www.them.us/story/daniel-radcliffe-girlfriend-transvestigators|access-date=June 9, 2023}}</ref><ref name="BaptistNewsGlobal"/> [[Flat Earth#Fundamentalist endorsements|As with Flat Earth]], there can be a religious [[fundamentalist]] component: transvestigators sometimes cite [[Biblical]] passages to support their claims.<ref name="BaptistNewsGlobal"/>

==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 Robinson".<ref>[https://thepeoplesvoice.tv/official-govt-docs-prove-brigitte-macron-is-a-male-pedophile-media-blackout/ Official Gov’t Docs Prove Brigitte Macron Is a Male Pedophile – Media Blackout]. ''The People's Voice'', 6 August 2024.</ref> <ref>{{Cite news |last=Farand |first=Chloe |date=August 25, 2017 |title='Michelle Obama is transgender, we all know it': Alex Jones claims he has 'proof' the former First Lady is a man |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/alex-jones-michelle-obama-man-proof-infowars-conspiracy-theorist-sandy-hook-a7911996.html |access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref><ref>(July 22, 2022) [https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-michelle-obama-mother-satire-623260875576 "False story about former first lady's mother originated as satire"]. ''The Associated Press''</ref> [[Alex Jones]] was involved with promoting this theory ([[Crank magnetism|because of course he was]]).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Czopek |first=Madison |date=October 31, 2020 |title=No, Michelle Obama is not a transgender woman |work=[[PolitiFact]] |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/oct/31/facebook-posts/no-michelle-obama-not-transgender-woman/ |access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref><ref name="OffTheEdge">{{Cite book |last=Weill |first=Kelly |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hZ4lEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA142&lpg=PA143&dq=%22Transvestigators%22&source=bl&ots=GovtFapSXE&#v=onepage&q=%22Transvestigators%22&f=false |title=Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything |date=2022-02-22 |publisher=Algonquin Books |isbn=978-1-64375-068-2 |pages=142-143}}</ref><ref>Michele Theil (January 7, 2020). [https://www.thepinknews.com/2020/01/07/michelle-obama-alex-jones-conspiracy-theory-infowars-debunked-first-lady/ "Conspiracy theorist claims Michelle Obama is transgender and we're so very, very tired"]. ''PinkNews''.</ref> Also picked up by the right-wing [[clogosphere]], the theory has been compared with [[birtherism]] and criticized for [[stereotyping]] [[African American]] women as masculine.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Berlatsky |first=Noah |date=October 14, 2014 |title=Michelle Obama Trans-Truthers Reveal Persisting Prejudices |work=The Pacific Standard |url=https://psmag.com/social-justice/michelle-obama-trans-truthers-reveal-persisting-prejudices-92320 |access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref><ref name="BaptistNewsGlobal"/> 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.<ref>Xana O'Neill (June 10, 2009). [https://www.nbcwashington.com/local/natl-birthday-girl-malia/1850588/ "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."</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817095400/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-white-house-birthday-03-jul03,0,7370155.story|title=Malia Obama's birthday: President's oldest daughter will turn 11 as thousands descend on White House lawn for 4th of July |work=Chicago Tribune |date=July 3, 2009|first=John |last=McCormick}}</ref>

Public interest in the Obama family would have been much lower at that time, since [[Barack Obama|Barack]] was merely a state-level legislator in [[Illinois]].<ref>[https://www.obamalibrary.gov/obamas/president-barack-obama "President Barack Obama"]. ''Barack Obama Presidential Library''.</ref> 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.<ref>(June 6, 1996). [http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/960606/obama.shtml "Obama named first Associate Dean of Student Services"]. ''University of Chicago Chronicle''. Vol. 15, No. 19.</ref> Thus it's understandable that there are no publicly-sourced photos of Michelle from these two relatively brief periods.{{efn|Keep in mind that there is not even a visible belly bump for the entire pregnancy period.}} 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.<ref>Erica Gonzales (November 16, 2016). [https://www.harpersbazaar.com/wedding/photos/news/a18874/barack-obama-michelle-obama-wedding-photos/ "Barack and Michelle Obama Had the Sweetest Wedding Photoshoot"]. ''Harper's Bazaar''.</ref><ref>Amber Raiken (October 3, 2022). [https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/barack-michelle-obama-wedding-anniversary-b2191729.html "Barack and Michelle Obama share sweet tributes in honour of their 30th wedding anniversary"]. ''The Independent''.</ref> Needless to say however, they do not need to compromise their personal [[privacy]] to please some Internet [[kook]]s who would just [[moving the goalposts|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. [[Image manipulation|Digitally altered photos]] appear to be a recurring theme: examples include fake photos of her with a beard,<ref>Moya Lothian-McLean (May 18, 2020). [https://www.indy100.com/news/michelle-obama-transgender-conspiracy-republican-racism-9520556 "The strange trend of Republicans spreading rumours that Michelle Obama is transgender, explained"]. ''indy100''.</ref> a crotch bulge in her dress,<ref name="LeadStories"/><ref>Adrian Wong (June 6, 2023). [https://www.techarp.com/facts/michelle-obama-transgender-fake/ "Do Photos Prove Michelle Obama Is Transgender?!"]. ''Tech ARP''.</ref> or an excessively masculinized appearance.<ref>Ciara O'Rourke (May 8, 2023). [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/may/08/viral-image/another-altered-photo-of-michelle-obama-shared-as/ "Another altered photo of Michelle Obama shared as part of unfounded conspiracy theory"]. ''[[PolitiFact]]''.</ref><ref>Gabrielle Settles (May 28, 2021). [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/may/28/instagram-posts/image-michelle-obama-absolutely-altered/ "Image of Michelle Obama is absolutely altered".] ''[[PolitiFact]]''.</ref> Another "proof" cited: videos of Barack Obama referring to somebody named "Michael". Supposedly, these clips are of him referring to Michelle.<ref>Reiss Smith (May 18 2020). [https://www.thepinknews.com/2020/05/18/michelle-obama-transgender-man-video-trans-woman/ "Right-wingers are spreading rumours that Michelle Obama is trans – again – and it all stems back to this failed Republican congressional candidate"]. ''PinkNews''.</ref> 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.<ref>(September 20, 2022). [https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-obama-video-walking-with-husband-124235827001 "Obama misrepresented in video quoting health care recipient"]. ''The Associated Press''.</ref><ref>Ankita Kulkarni (October 21, 2022). [https://web.archive.org/web/20221025173132/https://www.logically.ai/factchecks/library/ca07e960 "False: Barack Obama called his wife 'Michael'"]. ''Logically''.</ref> 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.<ref>Loreben Tuquero (May 23, 2023). [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/may/23/facebook-posts/video-does-not-show-obama-calling-his-wife-michael/ "Video does not show Obama calling his wife 'Michael'"]. ''[[PolitiFact]]''.</ref><ref>(May 23, 2023). [https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-obama-michael/fact-check-video-does-not-show-barack-obama-calling-michelle-obama-michael-idUSL1N37K2FK "Video does not show Barack Obama calling Michelle Obama 'Michael'"]. ''Reuters''.</ref>

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]]. This is a complete ''[[non sequitur]]'' unless you believe the elites were hiding technology capable of making trans women pregnant in the 1990s.{{efn|Which would not be entirely novel. Some conspiracy theories do propose that knowledge of existing technologies is intentionally obscured by the government or other [[powers that be]]. See [[free energy suppression]] for one example.}} 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.<ref>Barbara Mikkelson ''et al.'' (April 6, 2001). [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/jamie-lee-curtis/ "Jamie Lee Curtis: Male and Female?"]. ''[[Snopes]]''.</ref><ref>Barbara Mikkelson (February 23, 2005). [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ciara-birth-gender/ "Was Ciara Born a Man?"]. ''[[Snopes]]''.</ref> 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.<ref>Lisa Respers France (July 4, 2014; updated October 20, 2014). [https://www.cnn.com/2014/07/04/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/joan-rivers-michelle-obama-gay-transgender/index.html "Joan Rivers jokes Obama is gay, first lady is transgender"]. ''[[CNN]]''.</ref> 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".<ref>Elias Isquith (July 10, 2014). [https://www.salon.com/2014/07/10/alex_jones_calls_michelle_obama_first_tranny/ "Alex Jones calls Michelle Obama 'first tranny'"]. ''Salon''.</ref>

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.<ref>Adrian Wong (March 2, 2023). [https://www.techarp.com/facts/joan-rivers-killed-obamas/ "Was Joan Rivers Killed For Insulting The Obamas?!"]. ''Tech ARP''.</ref><ref name="BaptistNewsGlobal"/>{{efn|This resembles the [[Clinton body count]] family of conspiracy theories.}} However, online videos claimed Michelle was secretly trans at least as far back as February 2013.<ref>Owen Carry (June 16, 2023). [https://knowyourmeme.com/editorials/guides/the-controversial-michelle-obama-is-a-man-conspiracy-theory-explained "The Controversial 'Michelle Obama Is A Man' Conspiracy Theory, Explained"]. ''KnowYourMeme''.</ref><ref>Phillip Hamilton, Zach, and "Lake: Shadow Legends" (June 15, 2023). [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/michelle-obama-is-a-man-conspiracy-theory "Michelle Obama Is a Man Conspiracy Theory"]. ''KnowYourMeme''.</ref> According to ''Lead Stories'', an [[International Fact-Checking Network|IFCN]]-affiliated fact-checking outfit, edited photos of her with a crotch bulge have existed since at least 2010.<ref name="LeadStories"/>

==Further examples==
[[File:Stalin transvestigation.png|thumb|right|200px|A typical transvestigation "proof" image, attempting to analyze Stalin's quadriceps ("Q") angle.{{efn|[https://www.rbth.com/history/332999-5-illnesses-of-joseph-stalin Stalin experienced some personal health ailments throughout his life.] Some of these, like having been born with webbed toes, caused him to display an unusual gait.}}]]
{{cquote|"Well, you must be a boy with bones like that!"<br />
She said, "You got me wrong"|||{{wpl|The Fratellis||,}} [https://youtu.be/sEXHeTcxQy4 "Chelsea Dagger"]}}
Instances of transvestigation are countless: nobody is spared from their detection. Not [[J. Robert Oppenheimer]],<ref name="PhrenologyGirlies">Miles Klee (August 21, 2023). [https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/far-right-phrenology-physiognomy-spread-hate-1234808413/ "Why Are the Girlies So Into Phrenology?"]. ''Rolling Stone''.</ref> Lady Gaga,<ref>kanwaljeet (January 11, 2021). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0WcWkVOQTc "Lady Gaga talks about penis rumour"]. ''YouTube''. Clipped from ''60 Minutes Overtime'' [https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/lady-gaga-the-60-minutes-interviews/16/ (interviews originally recorded in 2010–2011)].</ref><ref>Sirena Bergman (April 12, 2020). [https://www.indy100.com/showbiz/lady-gaga-rumours-hermaphrodite-penis-trans-rights-lgbt-interview-9461591 "LGBTQ+ fans delighted at Lady Gaga's perfect response to rumours that she 'has a penis' in resurfaced interview"]. ''indy100''.</ref> Anne Frank,<ref name="MELMagazine"/> [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]],<ref name="CzechLUI"/> [[Kyle Rittenhouse]],<ref>Mikael Thalen (August 5, 2024). [https://www.dailydot.com/debug/kyle-rittenhouse-trans-qanon-conspiracy-theory/ "QAnon launches transvestigation into Kyle Rittenhouse after he wavered on Trump"]. ''The Daily Dot''.</ref><ref>Evan Urquhart. [https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/wdv4rknn339dibkkerp09zey58mea4 "Fact Check: Is Kyle Rittenhouse Transgender?"]. ''Assigned Media''.</ref><ref>Horrifying Houseguest (November 19, 2021). [https://web.archive.org/web/20220302193203/https://twitter.com/Bevvie112/status/1461803447913746441 "'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.</ref> [[Elon Musk]],<ref name="MELMagazine"/> [[Joseph Stalin]],<ref name="CzechLUI"/> [[Andrew Tate]],<ref>[https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/08/09/conspiracy-theorists-claim-andrew-tate-is-trans-after-not-very-revealing-swimsuit-pic-goes-viral/ "Conspiracy theorists claim Andrew Tate is trans after not-very-revealing swimsuit pic goes viral"] by Michele Thiel, Pink News, 2024 August 9</ref> nor even [[J.K. Rowling]].<ref name="MELMagazine"/> [[Adolf Hitler]] (also known as "CLITLER" by some<ref>Flat Earth Dad (August 25, 2017). [https://filmot.com/sidebyside/1f86fshAWyk/auto.en/auto.en/English+%28auto-generated%29/English+%28auto-generated%29/ADOLF+HITLER+WAS+A+WOMAN+transvestigation+of+the+Fuhrer++%23CLITLER/Flat+Earth+Dad "ADOLF HITLER WAS A WOMAN transvestigation of the Fuhrer #CLITLER"]. ''YouTube''.</ref>) was exposed as a "Gay & Transgender Man With Fake [[Mustache]]" in one enlightening video.<ref>Barnaby Nagy (August 1, 2019). [https://odysee.com/@BarnabasNagy:5/hitler-transvestigation-gay-transgender:e Hitler Transvestigation: Gay & Transgender Man With Fake Mustache]. ''Odysee''.</ref> [[Bullshit|Allegedly]], even the well-known [[Cross-dressing|drag]] queen RuPaul is actually "a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman".<ref name="CzechLUI"/> Some even believe that cisgender people are nearly [[extinct]]. This can be proven by photographing strangers in public and "analyzing" them.<ref name="MELMagazine"/><ref name="FOX8"/>

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.<ref name="OffTheEdge"/>

The first lady of [[France]], Brigitte Macron, was accused of having been born "Jean-Michel Trogneux" by far-right French activists.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pezet |first=Jacques |date=December 15, 2021 |title=#JeanMichelTrogneux : quelle est l’origine de la fake news transphobe visant Brigitte Macron ? |language=fr|work=Libération |url=https://www.liberation.fr/checknews/jeanmicheltrogneux-quelle-est-lorigine-de-la-fake-news-transphobe-visant-brigitte-macron-20211215_VADA3N3GAZDBJESOF2MYYAVEII/ |access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Facta"/><ref name="Connexion">(December 22, 2021) [https://www.connexionfrance.com/article/French-news/Brigitte-Macron-to-launch-legal-action-over-transphobic-rumour-under-JeanMichelTrogneux "Brigitte Macron to launch legal action over transphobic rumour"]. ''The Connexion''.</ref> This was despite the fact that she had given birth to several children — the transvestigators claimed that another woman was the true mother.<ref>(May 17, 2022) [https://www.sudouest.fr/justice/jean-michel-trogneux-un-couple-victime-collaterale-de-la-rumeur-transphobe-visant-brigitte-macron-10958669.php « Jean-Michel Trogneux » : un couple victime collatérale de la rumeur transphobe visant Brigitte Macron] (in French). ''Sud Ouest''.</ref> She later took legal action against those who spread the rumor.<ref name="Connexion"/><ref>(December 22, 2021) [https://www.reuters.com/article/france-macron-wife/brigitte-macron-takes-legal-action-against-false-rumours-she-was-born-a-man-idUKL8N2T73S6 "Brigitte Macron takes legal action against false rumours she was born a man"]. ''Reuters''.</ref> This conspiracy theory about Brigitte Macron was further propagated into English discourse, by [[Candace Owens]].<ref name="MMFACO">Ari Drennen and Alyssa Tirrell (June 25, 2024). [https://www.mediamatters.org/candace-owens/transvestigation-nation-right-wing-media-figures-obsession-trans-people-breaking "Transvestigation Nation: Right-wing media figures’ obsession with trans people is breaking their brains"]. ''Media Matters for America''.</ref>

In 2021, British national Benjamin Glynn was convicted in [[Singapore]] of breaking laws that mandated mask-wearing to prevent the spread of [[COVID-19]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lam |first=Lydia |date=September 2, 2021|title=Benjamin Glynn, caught for not wearing a mask, given 6 weeks' jail after brief one-day trial |work=Channel News Asia |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/benjamin-glynn-not-wearing-mask-train-court-convicted-jail-6-weeks-2120601 |access-date=June 13, 2023}}</ref> 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 [[Prince Harry and Meghan Markle|Harry]] because their mother [[Princess Diana]] was also trans.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/SingaporeSceptics/comments/p1m3w1/the_mind_of_benjamin_glynn_as_seen_through_his/ "The Mind of Benjamin Glynn As Seen Through His Tweets"], by u/GG_of_EIC</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Riedel |first=Sam |date=April 6, 2022 |title=Transphobes Believe That Daniel Radcliffe's Pregnant Cis Girlfriend Is Trans |work=Them|url=https://www.them.us/story/daniel-radcliffe-girlfriend-transvestigators |access-date=July 31, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hansford |first=Amelia |date=April 9, 2022 |title=Transphobes share conspiracy theory about Daniel Radcliffe's pregnant girlfriend |work=PinkNews|url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/04/09/daniel-radcliffe-erin-darke-transphobia/ |access-date=July 31, 2023}}</ref> This was despite the couple having announced that Darke was pregnant with their first child only two weeks previously.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gajewski |first=Ryan |date=March 25, 2023 |title=Daniel Radcliffe and Girlfriend Erin Darke Expecting Their First Child|work=The Hollywood Reporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/daniel-radcliffe-girlfriend-erin-darke-expecting-first-child-1235360834/ |access-date=July 31, 2023}}</ref><ref name="LiFO">(April 12, 2023) [https://www.lifo.gr/lgbtqi/i-syntrofos-toy-ntaniel-rantklif-einai-trans-gynaika-i-theoria-synomosias-poy-gennise-mia «Η σύντροφος του Ντάνιελ Ράντκλιφ είναι τρανς γυναίκα»: Η θεωρία συνωμοσίας που «γέννησε» μια φωτογραφία] (in Greek). ''LiFO''.</ref> They welcomed the baby by the end of April.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Andaloro |first=Angela |date=April 25, 2023 |title=Daniel Radcliffe and Longtime Girlfriend Erin Darke Welcome First Baby|work=People|url=https://people.com/parents/daniel-radcliffe-girlfriend-erin-darke-welcome-first-baby/ |access-date=July 31, 2023}}</ref>

==Methodology==
[[File:Gosling transvestigation.png|thumb|right|200px|[[Barbie: The Movie|Kenough]]? With ''that'' clavicle angle? Please, Ryan.]]
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".<ref name="MELMagazine"/><ref name="FOX8"/> 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-[[Objectification|objectifying]] qualities.<ref>Phillip Hamilton (May 16, 2023). [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/transvestigation "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."</ref>

Sometimes transvestigators will use more conventional, [[Informal fallacy|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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stone |first=Gemma |date=August 13, 2018 |title=The Great Transvestigation |work=Medium |url=https://medium.com/@notCursedE/the-great-transvestigation-2a3fecb6179e |access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref><ref name="OffTheEdge"/> 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).<ref>Jamie Raines (June 7, 2023). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DYN5NEWYD4 "Everyone is Trans | The Transvestigators"]. ''YouTube''. Timestamps: 3:12; 4:00–4:30.</ref> Failing to uphold any kind of real process or [[evidence]] though, some opt to simply trust their [[intuition]].<ref name="MELMagazine"/> Many of these stereotypes also rely on the Western European beauty standard, and thus accusations that someone is secretly trans frequently overlap with racism.

==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.<ref name="MELMagazine"/><ref name="BaptistNewsGlobal"/> Even some elected politicians have promoted the theory that Michelle Obama is transgender.<ref name="FOX8"/> 

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.<ref name="FOX8"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=McGurk |first=Nick |date=August 20, 2022 |title=Girl investigated for being transgender after winning state title |work=FOX8 WGHP |url=https://myfox8.com/sports/girl-investigated-for-being-transgender-after-winning-state-title/ |access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref> This incident has been compared with transvestigation conspiracy theories that have emerged online.<ref name="FOX8"/> Similarly, cisgender women have been attacked or accosted in public, for example [[Transphobia and public restrooms|when trying to use the bathroom]], due to things even as simple as wearing a short haircut.<ref>James Factora (July 12, 2023). [https://www.them.us/story/two-cisgender-people-killed-in-transphobic-attacks "Two Cisgender People Were Killed in Separate Attacks Motivated by Transphobia"]. ''Them''.</ref><ref>(May 16, 2016). [https://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Woman-mistaken-for-transgender-harassed-in-7471666.php "Woman mistaken for transgender harassed in Walmart bathroom"]. ''The News-Times''.</ref><ref>[https://www.vox.com/2016/5/18/11690234/women-bathrooms-harassment "Women are getting harassed in bathrooms because of anti-transgender hysteria"]. ''Vox''.</ref><ref name="Gawker">{{Cite news |last=Kadue |first=Katie |date=September 6, 2022 |title=What Is a Woman?: A history of paranoid reading |work=Gawker |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906131359/https://www.gawker.com/culture/what-is-a-woman |access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref><ref>(June 2, 2023). [https://www.al.com/reckon/2023/06/this-cis-woman-and-her-disabled-child-were-ousted-from-a-kansas-library-bathroom-due-to-anti-trans-ban.html "This cis woman and her disabled child were ousted from a Kansas library bathroom due to anti-trans ban"]. ''Alabama Media Group''.</ref><ref>(January 19, 2021). [https://diva-magazine.com/2021/01/19/news-butch-lesbians-are-facing-increasing-harassment-in-public-toilets/ "Butch lesbians are facing 'increasing harassment' in public toilets"]. ''Diva''.</ref><ref>Jennifer Lee (May 14, 2008). [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/nyregion/14gender.html "Woman Wins a Settlement Over Her Bathroom Ouster"]. ''The New York Times''.</ref><ref>Mitch Kellaway (November 7, 2017). [https://www.advocate.com/business/2015/06/17/detroit-woman-kicked-out-restaurant-bathroom-looking-man-sues "Woman Sues Restaurant That Ejected Her From Bathroom for Looking 'Like a Man'"]. ''The Advocate''.</ref><ref>Shannon Power (October 22, 2018). [https://web.archive.org/web/20201202225625/https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/lesbian-kicked-out-of-bowling-alley-because-she-used-the-womens-restroom "Lesbian kicked out of bowling alley because she used the women’s restroom"]. ''Gay Star News''.</ref><ref>Adam Forgie (December 3, 2018). [https://kutv.com/news/nation-world/grandma-mistakenly-booked-into-mens-jail-staff-thought-she-was-transgender "Grandma mistakenly booked into men's jail, staff thought she was transgender"]. ''KUTV''.</ref><ref>Eric Nicholson (April 29, 2016). [https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/self-appointed-bathroom-cop-catches-dallas-woman-using-womens-restroom-8259104 "Self-Appointed Bathroom Cop Catches Dallas Woman Using Women's Restroom"]. ''Dallas Observer''.</ref><ref>Christopher Wiggins (November 1, 2022). [https://www.advocate.com/news/2022/11/01/cis-woman-mistaken-transgender-records-being-berated-bathroom "Cis Woman Mistaken as Transgender Records Being Berated in Bathroom"]. ''The Advocate''.</ref> Being subject to a transvestigation can be especially dangerous for women who live in countries that outlaw the existence of LGBT people.

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.<ref name="Gawker"/> Otherwise, transvestigation conspiracy theories have been observed in action as a gateway into other conspiracy movements such as [[QAnon]] and the [[anti-gender movement]].<ref name="Facta"/> ''Workers' Liberty'', a [[socialist]] outlet, observed similarities between transvestigation and [[antisemitic]] conspiracy theories.<ref name="WorkersLiberty"/> Additionally, their methodology has been compared to [[phrenology]]<ref name="PhrenologyGirlies"/><ref name="WorkersLiberty"/><ref name="BaptistNewsGlobal">Kristen Thomason (June 22, 2023). [https://baptistnews.com/article/transvestigation-the-new-eugenics/ "Transvestigation: The new eugenics"]. ''Baptist News Global''.</ref>&nbsp;— 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]], [[atheist]]s, [[Native Americans]], and millionaires.<ref>Taylor Orth (March 15, 2022). [https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/03/15/americans-misestimate-small-subgroups-population "​​From millionaires to Muslims, small subgroups of the population seem much larger to many Americans]. ''YouGov''.</ref> 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:
{{cquote|[[Confirmation bias]]<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wittlin |first=Natalie M. |last2=Dovidio |first2=John F. |last3=LaFrance |first3=Marianne |last4=Burke |first4=Sara E. |date=2018-09-01 |title=About face: Memory for transgender versus cisgender targets' facial appearance |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103117303256 |journal=Journal of Experimental Social Psychology |volume=78 |pages=77–92 |doi=10.1016/j.jesp.2018.04.009 |issn=0022-1031}}</ref> means that people with negative opinions<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gerhardstein |first=Kelly R. |last2=Anderson |first2=Veanne N. |date=2010-03-01 |title=There’s More Than Meets the Eye: Facial Appearance and Evaluations of Transsexual People |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-010-9746-x |journal=Sex Roles |language=en|volume=62 |issue=5 |pages=361–373 |doi=10.1007/s11199-010-9746-x |issn=1573-2762}}</ref> about transgender people who are prompted to suspect that somebody is transgender are likely to find evidence<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Howansky |first=Kristina |last2=Albuja |first2=Analia |last3=Cole |first3=Shana |date=2020 |title=Seeing Gender: Perceptual Representations of Transgender Individuals |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1948550619875143 |journal=Social Psychological and Personality Science |language=en |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=474–482 |doi=10.1177/1948550619875143 |issn=1948-5506}}</ref> for their claim, whether or not it exists. [[Right-wing|The right]]'s present fixation on trans people has led to accusations of secret trans people everywhere not because men and women are so different, but rather because we have so much in common.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hamilton |first=Blair |last2=Brown |first2=Andrew |last3=Montagner-Moraes |first3=Stephanie |last4=Comeras-Chueca |first4=Cristina |last5=Bush |first5=Peter G |last6=Guppy |first6=Fergus M |last7=Pitsiladis |first7=Yannis P |date=2024 |title=Strength, power and aerobic capacity of transgender athletes: a cross-sectional study |url=https://bjsm.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/bjsports-2023-108029 |journal=British Journal of Sports Medicine |language=en |volume=58 |issue=11 |pages=586–597 |doi=10.1136/bjsports-2023-108029 |issn=0306-3674 |pmid=38599680}}</ref>|||<ref name="MMFACO"/>}}

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."<ref name="LentonWild">Patrick Lenton (February 8, 2024). [https://www.vice.com/en/article/jg54kd/a-wild-investigation-of-transvestigators-the-people-who-think-celebs-are-all-trans "A Wild Investigation of Transvestigators, the People Who Think Celebs Are All Trans"]. ''VICE Australia''.</ref>

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 panic]]s 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."<ref name="LentonWild"/> 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."<ref name="LentonWild"/>

==See also==
*[[Baphomet]], who some transvestigators believe is a subject of worship by transgender elites<ref name="Facta"/><ref name="BaptistNewsGlobal"/>
*[[Gaydar]]
*[[LGBTQ orientation glossary#Outing|Outing]] — what a transvestigation "exposé" would be if it ''was'' accurate
*[[Passing]]
*[[Reptilians]]
*[[Jonanism]]
*"[[Transgender glossary#Stealth|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<ref name="LentonWild"/>

==External links==
*[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/transvestigation Transvestigation entry] at Wiktionary (one of [[Wikipedia]]'s younger siblings)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20201007180140/https://gsso.research.cchmc.org/#!/entry?iri=http:%2F%2Fpurl.obolibrary.org%2Fobo%2FGSSO_006312 Transvestigation entry] at the GSSO (Gender, Sex, and Sexual Orientation) online resource
*[https://egale.ca/awareness/egale-explains-transvestigation/ "Egale Explains: 'Transvestigation' in Sport and How it Feeds Misogyny"], by {{w|Egale Canada}}
*[https://www.teenvogue.com/story/transvestigation-what-to-know-about-the-bizarre-and-transphobic-conspiracy-theory Transvestigation: What to Know About the Bizarre and Transphobic Conspiracy Theory], by Anna Merlan for ''Teen Vogue''
*[https://soundcloud.com/qanonanonymous/premium-episode-179-tranvestigation-feat-jane-ost-sample Premium Episode 179: Tranvestigation feat Jane Ost], by {{wpl|QAnon Anonymous}} (sample audio)
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH5-MDXzfmg Transvestigation: The Conspiracy Theory That Everyone Is Transgender], by {{wpl|Mia Mulder}}
*[https://www.vice.com/en/article/3ak5wk/conspiracy-theorists-believe-all-celebrities-are-secretly-trans The Conspiracy Theorists Who Think All Celebrities Are Secretly Trans], by Hayden Vernon for ''Vice''
*[https://medium.com/@notCursedE/the-great-transvestigation-2a3fecb6179e The Great Transvestigation], by Gemma Stone
*[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/transvestigation "Transvestigation"], a meme entry by KnowYourMeme
*[https://knowyourmeme.com/editorials/guides/what-does-transvestigation-mean-and-who-are-transvestigators-the-conspiracy-theory-alleging-that-most-hollywood-actors-are-transgender-explained What Does 'Transvestigation' Mean, And Who Are 'Transvestigators'?], an editorial by KnowYourMeme
*[https://www.readtpa.com/p/transphobia-and-right-wing-paranoia Transphobia and Right-Wing Paranoia Are a Dangerous Mix], by Parker Molloy

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|1|80%}}
[[Category:4chan]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theories]]
[[Category:Internet kooks]]
[[Category:Neologisms]]
[[Category:Pseudohistory]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience]]
[[Category:QAnon]]
[[Category:Satanism]]
[[Category:Sexism]]
[[Category:Transgender]]
[[Category:Transphobia]]
[[Category:Unified conspiracy theory]]

Categories: 4chan, Conspiracy theories, Internet kooks, Neologisms, Pseudohistory, Pseudoscience, QAnon, Satanism, Sexism, Transgender, Transphobia, Unified conspiracy theory