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Regina de Luna

Yuki Tsang

In 2013, Hong Kong real estate tycoon Cecil Chao announced he would give HK$1 billion (US$128 million) as a “dowry” to any man who would marry his daughter Gigi. She says the move forced her to come out of the closet as a lesbian amid a global media frenzy.
It proved to be a watershed moment for Gigi Chao, who would become a vocal LGBTQ activist and in 2019 co-founded the group Hong Kong Marriage Equality.
Gigi opens up to the South China Morning Post about her relationship with her father and her mission to fight discrimination same-sex couples face in the city.


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Hong Kong society

Gigi Chao’s dad offered HK$1 billion for a man to marry her. Now she’s an LGBTQ activist

Photo: SCMP composite

Singapore LGBTQ community hails Thailand’s same-sex marriage law, curbs inclusivity hopes

Singaporean LGBTQ couple Lau and Ong at their pre-wedding photoshoot earlier this year. Photo: Lau 

LGBTQ community members and same-sex couples react during an official ceremony to celebrate the Marriage Equality law at the Government House in Bangkok. Photo: EPA-EFE

People attend the 2023 Pink Dot Rally in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

 Pink Dot’s spokesman Clement Tan at an event in Singapore on May 29. Photo: Pink Dot

Thailand set to be first Asean nation to recognise same-sex marriages after bill passes

Members of Thailand’s LGBTQ community arrive ahead of the passing of the marriage equality bill in its second and third readings by the Senate. Photo: Reuters

A general view of Thailand’s Senate during the passing of the marriage equality bill in its second and third readings. Photo: Reuters

In Singapore, a cancelled talk on sex and gender spotlights divide on LGBTQ issues

Supporters attend an annual Pink Dot pride event at Hong Lim Park in Singapore. Photo: AFP

People attend a Pink Dot event in Singapore last year. Photo: Reuters

About two-thirds of respondents to a survey said transgender people face discrimination in Singapore society. Photo: AFP

Attendees at a Pink Dot event in Singapore last year. Researchers say the focus of LGBTQ activists and advocates has shifted since the repeal of Section 377A. Photo: Reuters

Japan should be ‘embarrassed’ after lesbian couple get refugee status in Canada, LGBTQ advocates say

Participants march with a banner during the Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade in support of the LGBTQ community. Photo: AP

Supporters of the LGBTQ community pose in the Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade in Tokyo. Photo: AFP

Participants march during the Tokyo Lesbian and Gay Parade in Tokyo. Photo: AP

LGBTQ people in EU face less discrimination, more violence, survey finds

People take part in the Trans Pride parade in Budapest. Intersex and trans people had the highest rates of respondents who said they had experienced a physical or sexual attack in the five years before the survey for being LGBTIQ. Photo: dpa

The annual pride parade in the streets of Soho in London in 2022. Photo: AFP

News

Hong Kong

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People & Culture

China Personalities

LGBTQ activist Gigi Chao talks about her life and relationship with tycoon father, who offered a ‘dowry’ for any man who could marry her


Hong Kong LGBTQ activist Gigi Chao talks about her life and relationship with tycoon father, who offered a ‘dowry’ for any man who could marry her.


LGBTQ

LGBTQ in China

Video | Gigi Chao’s dad offered HK$1 billion for a man to marry her. Now she’s an LGBTQ activist

LGBTQ activist Gigi Chao talks about her life and relationship with tycoon father, who offered a ‘dowry’ for any man who could marry her