Ever since Denise Ho (何韻詩) came out as a lesbian in front of an enormous crowd during a gay pride parade last week, speculations about her rumored ex-lover, Joey Yung’s (容祖兒), sexual orientation has been the talk of the town. When Denise was 15 years old, she had dated a boy, but did not have any feelings of love towards him. Discovering that she had a crush towards a girl instead, Denise struggled with her inner feelings. “At the time, I was in deep pain and did not know what to do. Fortunately, an older Christian male friend helped sort my feelings and I was able to put down my burden and accept myself as a lesbian,” Denise revealed. A Bad Influence for Youth? Although Denise’s disclosure has been met with support from her management company, friends, and fans, some were worried that her status as a pop singer will easily influence the sexuality choices made by youth in society. “My idol, Anita Mui (梅艷芳) was heterosexual, but this did not influence me. Many of my fans are already married and will not be affected by me.” Looks Forward to Marriage and Adopting Children As a Canadian citizen, Denise is able to get legally married with a same-sex partner in Canada. She looks forward to building a family by adopting children. If her partner did not mind, Denise is also willing to disclose her identity. However, Denise dodged questions on whether she is currently living with former costar, Deng Jiuyun (鄧九雲). Denise’s Response Caused Trouble for Joey Earlier, when asked whether Joey is bisexual by the press, Denise gave an ambiguous response, “It’s very hard to respond. I am unable to respond.” This comment left Joey, who is dating singer, Wilfred Lau (劉浩龍), in the center of the paparazzi’s frenzy. Despite feeling the pressure from the media, Joey has kept silent about this matter. Joey’s manager, Mani Fok (霍汶希) reported that the controversy surrounding her sexual orientation has caused Joey to be emotionally distressed, and she urged Denise not to bring up Joey again when she speaks to the media. No Intention to Create Trouble for Joey In a radio interview, Denise said she never wanted to create trouble or any emotional distress for Joey and blamed the media for dragging Joey into the picture. In addition, Denise was very worried that her disclosure regarding her sexual orientation would cause many problems for her once rumored girlfriend. This was a major reason why she did not make the disclosure sooner. The media has created many false stories about the purported couple, and it was very difficult for Denise to explain herself. Before her disclosure, Denise had forewarned Joey about her decision. Not Believing Joey is Emotionally Distressed When she received news about Joey’s emotional distress, Denise said, “The media always exaggerates the story, and I don’t have any reaction to it. I will not be affected by these rumors and I will not believe that they are true. I will only believe it if the person confirms the authenticity of the story.” Denise will not respond to questions regarding her relationship with Joey and Wilfred. She said, “I will respect their requests, so I will no longer make comments about this topic. The three of us no longer bear the same relationship.” Denise emphasized again that it is very difficult to answer questions about her former friends. She said, “Silence doesn’t mean that I am a coward. Deep down, I am a strong person.” Creds: Ming Pao
