“There are plenty of good men, they are not
just for me,” these are the words of the
daughter of Cecil Chao, an H0ng Kong
business tycoon who reportedly offered
80million pounds to any man who is ready to
marry his lesbian daughter.
Gigi, the 33-year-old daughter wrote an open
letter to her father urging him to see reasons
and respect her sexuality.
Chao, a property and shipping tycoon who
himself has never married, told the BBC last
year that his daughter needed a “good
husband”.
In the letter, Gigi told her father to “treat her
like a normal, dignified human being”.
Chao last week reportedly offered to double
his 2012 offer of $65m (£40m).
Hong Kong does not recognise same-sex
unions, although homosexuality was
decriminalised in 1991.
Read the BBC News report below:
He said at the time that his monetary offer
for any man to woo his daughter had
generated many replies from potential
suitors.
The letter by Ms Chao, a socialite and
businesswoman, was published in at least
two Hong Kong newspapers, including
the South China Morning Post newspaper on
Tuesday.
In it she said she was sorry that people had
been saying “insensitive things” about her
father.
“The truth is, they don’t understand that I
will always forgive you for thinking the way
you do, because I know you think you are
acting in my best interests,” she said.
“As your daughter, I would want nothing
more than to make you happy. But in terms
of relationships, your expectations of me and
the reality of who I am, are not coherent.”
She added that she did not expect her father
and her partner “to be best of friends”. But
she said “it would mean the world to me if
you could just not be so terrified of her, and
treat her like a normal, dignified human
being”.
“I’m sorry to mislead you to think I was only
in a lesbian relationship because there was a
shortage of good, suitable men in Hong
Kong,” she went on.
Ms Chao ended her letter by signing it:
“Patiently yours”.
Read full letter below:
Dear Daddy,
I thought the timing was right for us to have a
candid conversation.
You are one of the most mentally astute,
energetic yet well mannered and hard-
working people this humble earth has ever
known.
Your confidence, quick wit, and charisma
brightens any room you enter.
I love you very much, and I think I can speak
for my brothers also, that we have the utmost
respect for you as a father and role model in
business.
I am sorry that people have been saying
insensitive things about you lately. The truth
is, they don’t understand that I will always
forgive you for thinking the way you do,
because I know you think you are acting in
my best interests. And we both don’t care if
anybody else understands.
As your daughter, I would want nothing more
than to make you happy. But in terms of
relationships, your expectations of me and
the reality of who I am, are not coherent.
I am responsible for some of this misplaced
expectation, because I must have misled you
to hope there were other options for me. You
know I’ve had male lovers in the past, and
I’ve had happy, albeit short-lived,
relationships. I found myself temporarily
happy, buoyed by the freshness, the
attention, the interest, of someone physically
stronger than myself.
But it was always short-lived, as I quickly lost
patience, and felt an indescribable
discomfort in their presence. It usually made
me frustrated, and I would yearn for my
freedom again. I’ve broken a few hearts,
hearts of good, honest and loving men, and
I’m sorry that it had to be so.
But with Sean, a woman, somehow it was
different. I am comfortable and satisfied with
my life and completely at ease with her. I
know it’s difficult for you to understand how I
could feel romantically attracted to a woman;
I suppose I can’t really explain it either. It
just happens, peacefully and gently, and after
so many years, we still love each other very
much.
My regret is that you have no idea how happy
I am with my life, and there are aspects of my
life that you don’t share. I suppose we don’t
need each other’s approval for our romantic
relationships, and I am sure your
relationships are really fantastic too.
However, I do love my partner Sean, who
does a good job of looking after me, ensuring
I am fed, bathed and warm enough every
day, and generally cheering me up to be a
happy, jolly girl. She is a large part of my life,
and I am a better person because of her.
Now, I’m not asking you to be best of friends;
however, it would mean the world to me if
you could just not be so terrified of her, and
treat her like a normal, dignified human
being.
I understand it is difficult for you to
understand, let alone accept this truth.
I’ve spent a lot of time figuring out who I am,
what is important in my life, who I love and
how best to live life, as an expression of all
these questions. I am proud of my life, and I
would not choose to live it any other way
(except also figuring out how to be gentler on
the planet).
I’m sorry to mislead you to think I was only
in a lesbian relationship because there was a
shortage of good, suitable men in Hong Kong.
There are plenty of good men, they are just
not for me.
Wishing you happiness.
Patiently yours,
Your daughter, Gigi.
