'How many of you still don't know that Michelle Obama was born Michael Lavaughn Robinson and is a man?'
Former First Lady Michelle Obama has been vocal in her support for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and running mate Sen. Kamala Harris ahead of the Nov. 3 election. But her campaigning for the Democratic candidates has once again made Obama the target of online misinformation. One Facebook post revived gender-focused claims about Obama that have circulated online for years. 'How many of you still don't know that Michelle Obama was born Michael Lavaughn Robinson and is a man?' the post asks. The post was flagged as part of Facebook's efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) There is no evidence that the former first lady was assigned male at birth or ever named 'Michael.' The lack of evidence for the claims hasn't stopped several people with large platforms from saying Obama is a transgender woman. Alex Jones, host of a conspiracy-focused talk show, has repeatedly pushed these claims on his show. In 2017, he released a 12-minute video during which he analyzed photos and videos that he believed proved Obama was a transgender woman.
Our ruling A Facebook post asks, 'How many of you still don't know that Michelle Obama was born Michael Lavaughn Robinson and is a man?' There is no evidence Obama is a transgender woman or was named 'Michael' at birth. We rate this post Pants on Fire!
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