Last week, Hong Kong billionaire, Cecil Chao, 77, was in the news after he
reportedly doubled his reward ($130million) for any man who would woo his daughter (pictured left)
away from her lesbian lover, marry her and give him grandchildren (If you missed
the story, read it
here)
The daughter, Gigi Chao, 34, who is already married to her partner
Sean Eav & resides in France has written an open
letter to
her father asking for him to come to terms with the fact that she is a lesbian.
The letter was published today in Chinese newspaper,
South China Morning Post. Find it after the cut
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.
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