In a world that seems to be progressively moving toward fully embracing that which is unseemly, we have stumbled upon yet another epidemic that continues to solidify the argument that we are in serious need of God and morality.
In her debut novel, “Secret Society,” Essence best-selling author Miasha explored the underground world of transsexuality through lives of two fictional characters who indulge in this controversial lifestyle. In this “Secret Society,” men live as women who trick straight men into partaking in their lifestyles for material and financial gain.
Due to the influx of this activity that she was able to uncover while doing research for her book, Miasha felt compelled to share the information she discovered. It was with great intrigue and astonishment as to the lengths these individuals are willing to go that I was able to go in-depth with her about this matter.
FrontPage: What was your motivation for writing “Secret Society?” Is that something that you did extensive research on before you wrote the book?
Miasha: Yeah, I definitely did research. I also interviewed someone who lives that exact lifestyle. But originally when I sat down to write “Secret Society,” I didn’t have that twist in mind at first. I wanted to show the consequences that are attached to women trying to attain finances and material possessions through using men. I wrote the consequences on the first page and they were pretty harsh. So I had to ask myself what would really make a man take those measures on a woman. And instantly that twist jumped in my head and I decided to go with it. That’s when I had to take a trip to a certain area in Philadelphia where I know those types of people hang out. I found someone who I was comfortable talking to and he gave me a whole lot of information.
FP: In speaking with that person and interviewing him, what was his demeanor? Did he feel bad al all about living that type of lifestyle? Was he OK with it? What was the setting for that interview?
M: It’s hard to call her a he because she was so feminine, but he basically was open to telling me everything. She was excited about it. I think she was just happy that it was going to be made into a book. It was kind of like she was glorifying it more so than was upset about it, at first. I got her phone number and we talked on numerous occasions, and when I started to ask her deeper questions you could tell that she had some emotional issues that went along with it, but she didn’t really get into that with those emotions.
FP: How did you feel walking away from that conversation after you finished the book? What was it like for you as a woman exploring that topic?
M: I was definitely blown away. First of all, in the area in Philadelphia that I went – I lived in Philly all my life and I didn’t know that it existed that way – It was like herds of people in that life, just out on the corners, out in the open. I was very surprised to even see how much of it was right there in my hometown. And then to hear the stories and to hear the type of people that come after these women and know their secret, it was very mind blowing to me and I felt like it had to be told; it had to be exposed. I know people hear about it and they might know about it but not in such a light. You’ve never really gotten a book, especially in urban fiction, that explores it to that detail.
FP: Yes and the way that you explore it, it was very tastefully done. It wasn’t just like you were throwing it out there for the thrill of it being overly sexually explicit or anything like that. It was tastefully done and it really told the story. And it was kind of an eye-opener, showing that this thing is really rampant. How in depth did your research take you with this project? Did you just stop with the interview or did you look into other statistics surrounding these secret societies that are going on around the country?
M: The interview helped a great deal with “Secret Society.” However, I wrote a part two, which is titled “Never Enough,” and it comes out in July. And that is where I had to do more extensive research to learn more abut sex changes. Even after “Secret Society” came out, I got an email from someone who lived the same lifestyle as Celess, but she eventually got a sex change. So I contacted her to get more information for part two that would take you deeper than just this man dressing like a woman. So, I got a lot of information from that particular girl and then I had to do my own research, statistics and everything to get “Never Enough” as authentic as “Secret Society.”
FP: I just think that the whole subject matter of the book in and of itself should be an eye-opener, for men in particular and, if anything, incentive for them to not be so out there with themselves sexually. Is that something that you speak about with teenage boys or young girls, for that matter?
M: Definitely. That’s like one of the main reasons that whenever I do interviews for writing “Secret Society,” and they ask what do I want readers to walk away with, that’s one of the main things. For the men, it’s really to be careful. Men are so free, especially with their sexuality, that if they see someone they’re attracted to they don’t care. And, of course, for the people living that lifestyle that Celess and Tina lived, it’s even deeper than that because you’re playing with somebody’s sexuality and that could be deadly, as proven in the book. It just boils down to loving yourself.
FP: Based on the interview you did with this person, can you go through what the steps are for their making these changes from being a man to having all of the feminine qualities that make them so hard to decipher?
M: She had, of course, a lot of surgery and she had silicone placed in different areas. A lot of people think that silicone is just for the breasts, but she had silicone placed in her face and in her behind as well just to give it more of a female form. A lot of men who make the transition to being women, they get laser hair removal and electrolysis to keep their facial hair, or other areas that grow hair naturally, away. There’re also hormones that they have to take. A lot of time the hormones give them estrogen, which is something that women naturally have that gives us the ability to grow breasts. And even though a lot of them get these breast implants, they still take hormones to grow natural breasts. The list goes on and on. Even in the book, I discuss where Tina had to explain to Celess that it’s deeper than just being able to dress up and have an attitude of a woman. You have to really discipline yourself, take vitamins, and it’s a lot of things you have to do that a woman wouldn’t have to do because, of course, you’re not built naturally the way a woman is.
FP: What is the official name that they refer to themselves as?
M: It’s either transgender or transsexual. FP: What would be a way for straight men to protect themselves or to make sure that what they see is what they’re getting?
M: For starters, a lot of people participate in foreplay before you actually go to sexual intercourse. In that event, a woman who is really a man won’t want to participate in much foreplay unless she’s doing it. In that case, those red flags should raise if she doesn’t want you to touch certain areas or turn the light on, or different things like that. Then those red flags should raise and the man should either be demanding of it or decide that it’s not going to go any further. I would think that would be the number one way because for a woman who has not had the sex change yet, she still has her manly parts. That’s the easiest way for a man to find out.
FP: And if they’ve already had the change, then it’s pretty much impossible?
M: It’s definitely going to be hard to tell. If the woman isn’t open then one of those things that you might want to check is her medicine cabinet. That would be the only tell-tale sign at that point; is that if she’s taking certain medications. Because even after you have your sex change, there are hormones that you have to take basically forever.
So there you have it. In addition to having to check your milk expiration dates, watch your intake of NutraSweet for fear of getting cancer, now gentlemen, you have to go that extra mile to make sure that your new love interest is really all that she appears to be. Be sure to add that to your to do list, right under “check ID!”
For more information about Miasha and “Secret Society,” visit www.miasha.com.
