Gay rights activists decry Cecil Chao's husband bounty for lesbian daughter

Gay rights activists have called on the Equal Opportunities Commission to repair damage done to Hong Kong's image by property tycoon Cecil Chao Sze tsung's bizarre offer to pay someone HK$500 million to wed his lesbian daughter.

Pink Season festival organiser Anshuman Das said the EOC should step in because Chao's bounty sent "mixed signals" about Hongkongers' attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights.

"It is definitely part of the EOC's duties to improve Hong Kong's image as a tolerant community," he said.

"Mr Chao's offer was a blow to our image, especially given all the work Pink Season and the Hong Kong Tourism Board have done to make Hong Kong a LGBT-friendly tourist destination."

The Chao saga began when Gigi Chao, daughter of the Cheuk Nang (Holdings) owner, announced she had married her long-time girlfriend, Sean Eav, five months ago. A few days later, her father put out his offer to the men of the world and the Chaos have been flooded with proposals. Gigi Chao has since asked her father to retract his offer.

However, yesterday at an EOC public forum, the chairperson of the government anti-discrimination group, Lam Woon-kwong, refused to comment on the story when questioned by the .

Asked if he thought Chao's offer was inappropriate in the context of the wider debate about sexual equality, Lam said it would be "inappropriate to comment on entertainment news".