Gigi Chao’s father offered 1 billion Hong Kong dollars for a man to marry her. Now she’s an LGBTQ activist

In 2013, Hong Kong real estate tycoon Cecil Chao announced he would give HK$1 billion ($128 million) as a “dowry” to any man who married his daughter Gigi. She says the decision 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 go on to become an LGBTQ activist and in 2019 co-founded the group Hong Kong Marriage Equality.

Gigi speaks to the South China Morning Post about her relationship with her father and her mission to fight the discrimination same-sex couples face in the city.