Pushed out of the closet: how a HK$1 billion manhunt turned Gigi Chao into an LGBTQ activist

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. In this episode of Listen to Her, Gigi opens up about her relationship with her father and her mission to fight discrimination same-sex couples face in the city.