AN INTERVIEW

Cindy Thai Tai is the first person in Vietnam who speaks up protecting the authority of “transgender people”. She is a make-up artist for professional artist, giving a hand in the successful of many models, misses on many beauty contests. After the surgery, this is exactly what she yearned for, she could stand in stage and sing for her fans with her real appearance of a women. Then, she became a professional singer and had a number of albums. Confidence about her beauty, her voice, the happiness with her heart-to-heart man and a little adopted son, the homogeneous voice talked to us: “I’m a lucky woman.”

To day, we’ll have an interview with this special women.

JOURNALIST: Good morning, Ms Cindy. I'm S.O, the journalist of newspaper S.T. Who will be interviewing you. Would you like to come with me?
CINDY THAI TAI: Yes, for sure!JOURNALIST: When did you find out that you are a women in the man body?

CINDY THAI TAI: I want to change the boy body when I was very young, but I didn’t know where I can do it, how does it do, and especially by that time, I have to hide everyone. Until Viet Nam had an open economy, it wasn’t hard to go abroad anymore, I decided to find myself. At that time, a lot of friends who live overseas advised me to go to Thailand.

JOURNALIST: How did you prepare your psychology before starting the surgery?

CINDY THAI TAI: Quite frankly, having an operation, everyone feel afraid of the death than the fear of pain. But the motive for being myself forced my hand. I didn’t want to cover myself over by masks and clothes of others when I go out, I didn’t want to confine the people inside me in "prison" anymore. So I did that. Now I’m very happy, I always look at myself every morning when I wake up.

JOURNALIST: Can you tell us about your journey “to find yourself”?

CINDY THAI TAI: I spent two years for only the hormonal therapy. Then I changed the face 3-4 times. During the surgery, I was anesthetic. When I woke up, I felt tired and uncomfortable. I had to use the analgesic for few times. After 7 days (after removing the tape) I lost 14 pounds in weight. After 6 months, I recovered and 1 year later it was satisfied. Of course, women can not be as healthy as men but we’re stronger in spirit. Now, there is no any side effects. As I know, I can just spent $2,000 and $3,000, but “You get what you pay for." I am able to pay for the best service, I chose the best place to get best results. The total cost is more than $ 30,000.

JOURNALIST: You want to write a novel, right? So, What is it exactly about?

CINDY THAI TAI: I want to write a memoir. I want to speak of the poor fate which is suffering the prejudice and malice from the society. The process of making a publication means to be human so it requires time and a real factor. It is not only representing for a sex or best-seller book.

JOURNALIST:  When writing autobiography, many people are often inclined to embroider the fact to get sympathy from the reader. How about you?

CINDY THAI TAI: This is a book, not a picture. I don’t intend to draw or paint on this cultural publication which requires the honesty. Telling the truth about me should be seen to be a natural demand rather than an action that requires the courage.

JOURNALIST: What’s the most terrible public opinion about yourself that you have heard?

CINDY THAI TAI: With the changing of environment, creatures have to evolve to survive or they will die. And so do I. I have a special fate and suffered so many pressures. Luckily, I had equipped myself for firm bravery. Had I been a feeble women, there wouldn’t have been any Cindy Thai Tai. By this time, The worst opinion I've heard which just is something I had experienced. So, it is no longer the worst thing anymore.

JOURNALIST: What do you think about the comment that “Cindy Thai Tai can stay in singing career for the long time because of the audiences’ curiosity about a transgendered lead singer”?

CINDY THAI TAI: So many audiences came to listen to my concert with a great curiosity. But staying and continuing to hear my singing for two years can exist for so long time.

JOURNALIST: There are many recommendations that people who have the cosmetic surgery will loss of life. Are you scared to death?

CINDY THAI TAI: I also asked the doctor about this. And he replied that he had never seen his patients being like that if they live healthy, eat properly, do the exercise moderately. But if my duration of life was reduced 10 years or also 20 years, I willingly accepted. Be cause I‘d rather die for doing that than live over 200 years without being myself.

JOURNALIST:  What do you think about the idea that the man really does not dare to fall in love with transgender people, and of course gays or lesbians do?

CINDY THAI TAI: I've never loved the people who are the same sex as me because I am not lesbian. I am a true woman, except this body. It's maybe God's joke. So, if I want to return to be myself, I must use my virtue. There was a man who really loved me. At first we get in with each other uneasily. He saw a woman inside me. After sex change operation, we still lived together for two years then we went our separate ways. We can’t have any marriage certificates, I can not bring him a baby. He can overcome social opinion, but I don’t want separate him from family. By now, it's the best beautiful love and that is the man I loved very much. Everyone always have their love. I often love and be loved, so I always feel happy.

JOURNALIST: So, Is there anyone get acquainted with you because of your money and generosity?

CINDY THAI TAI: There have been someone, and they were also soon "hit the road." Although I’m not very rich but I don’t accept to be a goods or someone else's ATM. I believe that love must be a voluntary and fairness.

JOURNALIST: You have said that you are more than a woman, what does this mean?

CINDY THAI TAI: I didn’t say that, it was commented by my darling - a real man. I just know that I’m very sensitive.

JOURNALIST: Who is the man that has brought the happiest moments or the most vulnerable in love for you?

CINDY THAI TAI: Because of respecting for the man in my life, I absolutely have no intention to compare anyone with each other. For me, every love has always been a perfect love song.

JOURNALIST: Beside the job, how do you take care your family?

CINDY THAI TAI: I'm not married, whether he’s just a reasonable man as intimates. One of the required skills of an artiste is be able to keep the balance between career and family. It was very fortunate for me that I had the sympathetic supporting of relatives and a little son who usually slap in his mother’s face, sometimes it quite... strong.

JOURNALIST: When your child reaches the school age, he will have to face that a lot of friends will tease him about having a transgendered mother. Do you prepare your child psychologically for this thing?

CINDY THAI TAI: I love my son with all of my heart. Everything I do, I do it for him, I believe that he’ll feel like this and proud of his mother. Love and pride that is the prep for life that I have given him to protect himself against all public opinion. Recreational provoking or injury a child is to be considered like the crime of childish. 
JOURNALIST: Thank you so much, Ms. Cindy!