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Plus/+, at Iba Plus, Maramihan: New Philippine Nonfiction on Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities

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Ang mga personal na sanaysay ay mga politikal na pag-akda ng pagiging LGBTQIA+ ng bawat manunulat-mamamayan-tao na kalahok sa antolohiyang ito, dahil ang mga ito ay tungo sa pag-ako at muling pag-ako ng sariling identidad-pagkamamamayan-pagkatao. Hindi lamang ito pangungumpisal kundi pagiging testigo sa sariling katotohanan ng naging kasaysayan, tunguhin, at pagtatanggol sa mga individual na katotohanan ng pagiging dehado natin sa mundong ibabaw. Ang pag-eensayo nito ay pag-eensayo sa kinakailangang rebolusyon o kontraryong imaginary ng pagkamamamayan sa heterosexualidad at estado.

Binubuklod ng antolohiyang ito ang tinig ng LGBTQIA+ na manunulat, ang ating mambabasa, ang ating publiko, ang iba pang mga pahina ng pambansang panitikan at kontraryong politika—ang asersyon na maging kaiba, may solidaridad ng hanay, may kaisahan at pakikiisa sa iba pang identidad at aspekto ng pagkamamamayan na inaapi, ang pangangailangang baguhin ang lipunan, kasaysayan, at modernidad ng pagdanas.

199 pages

Published January 1, 2022

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About the author

Rolando B. Tolentino

60 books112 followers
Rolando B. Tolentino is an associate for fiction of the UP Institute for Creative Writing. He is a faculty member of the UP Film Institute. He is the founding chair of Katha, the fictionists group in Filipino, and is a member of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino and the Congress of Teachers and Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND-UP). His works include: Sakit ng Kalingkingan: 100 Dagli sa Edad ng Krisis (2005), Kuwentong Syudad (co-editor, 2002), Sapinsaping Pag-ibig at Pagtangis: Tatlong Novella ng Pagsinta’t Paghinagpis (1999); Fastfood, Megamall at iba pang kwento sa pagsasara ng ikalawang milenyum (1999); Relasyon: Mga Kwuwento ng Paglusong at Pag-ahon (co-editor, 1999); Ali*bang+Bang atpb. Kwento (1994); Habilin: Antolohiya ng Katha Para sa Pambansang Kasarinlan (co-editor, 1991); Engkwentro: Kalipunan ng mga Akda ng Kabataang Manunulat (co-editor, 1990).

He has received many awards here and abroad, namely: Distinguished Visitor, UC-Berkeley and UCLA Southeast Asian Studies Consortium (2006), Visiting Fellow, Sociology Department, National University of Singapore (Jul 2005-Dec 2006), Obermann Summer Research Fellowship (2004), Best Arts Book, Gintong Aklat, (2002), Writer’s Prize, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (2001), Manila Critics Circle Award for Best Film Criticism Book (2001); Gawad Chancellor for Best Literary Work (2001); Lily Monteverde Professorial Chair (2000-2001); UP International Publication Award (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003); Henry Sy Professorial Chair (1998-1999); Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, 1998, 1994, 1991; Research Grant, U.P. Office of Research Coordination, 1998-1999, 1999-2000; Research Grant, U.P. Center for Integrative Development Studies, 1997-1998; Angara Fellowship, U.P. Women’s Studies Center, 1997-1998; Belmonte Creative Writing Grant, U.P. College of Arts and Letters, 1997-1998; Research Grant, Sumitomo Foundation, 1997-1998; CCP Gawad para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video, 1996; All University Predoctoral Merit Fellowship, USC, 1993-1996; Fulbright Grant to pursue Ph.D. in area of Critical Theory and Cultural Studies, 1992-1996; Writing Grant, Cultural Center of the Philippines; Thesis Grant, Philippine Social Science Council, 1991.

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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Profile Image for Pia.
101 reviews2 followers
June 12, 2025
Plus/+, at Iba Plus, Maramihan: New Philippine Nonfiction on Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities, or Plus/+, is a collection of non-heteronormative Filipino experiences edited by Rolando Tolentino* and Chuckberry Pascual. Its the non-fiction side of a twin work—with the other one having the same mouthful of a title swapped with the term ‘fiction’.

The Work as A Whole: Broad
There has been marked improvement in LGBTQIA+ acceptance in the Philippines, seen in both policy breakthroughs and shifting cultural attitudes. Yet our perceptions often remain limited: focused mostly on the most visible kinds of queerness, and with political progress largely confined to the local level rather than national scale.

The non-fiction counterpart of this twin work compiles personal anecdotes from several queer* Filipino writers. In doing so, it attempts to move forward from where we currently are—documenting lived experience as both reflection and momentum.

The most salient trait of this collection is its openness. It's open in the common sense of the word: inclusive of queer diversity across identity, class, lifestyle, region, and situation. It embraces a wide range of topics, from the role of media in shaping gender understanding, to parenting in queer families, to celebrating holidays within queer communities. And sex—there’s a lot of it here, especially in essays by gay male writers. The collection also presents a variety of approaches: some essays are grounded in specific ideological frameworks (like national democracy, liberalism, or plain sex positivity), while others forgo theory altogether. Though some elements appear more frequently than others, the book as a whole offers a far-reaching cross-section of non-heteronormative Filipino lives.

I consider myself more informed than most when it comes to the complexities of gender, and even so, I found myself humbled (and yeah surprised) by how SOGIE expressed itself for people in the book.

That humility is key to the book’s power. It doesn’t pretend to represent all possibilities, but the variety itself points to the vastness of the Filipino gender spectrum. Reading Plus/+ feels like a way to take in a panorama—focusing not on the blur of the whole, but on sharp, singular points that reveal the broader landscape.

And as with all encounters with enormity, reading this collection invites the reader to pause and reflect. These stories, deeply Filipino yet representing gender identities often marginalized or peripheral, speak directly to our sense of pakikipagkapwa. For better or worse (which I’ll talk about later) Plus/+ resonates through its collective impact. It meets the challenge of the cultural moment, and it does so by wielding artistry and intelligence.

The Work as Whole: Closure (or lack thereof)
Plus/+ is also open in a second, different way: the writers themselves don’t have a final, neat understanding of their gender and sexuality. As non-cis/non-het people, their personal histories involve non-normative encounters, and as such don’t have cultural scripts to guide them out of, or even to cleanly process with. One of the editors, Tolentino, adequately explains the essays’ tenuous feel:

“...ang metastruktura ng sexualidad at kasarian ay heterosexualidad. Kung gayon, ang pag-akda sa alaala sa kasalukuyan ay working out, making do, negotiating, pakapa-kapa sa kasalukuyang LGBTQIA+ na identidad.”
—Page 3, Introduksiyon


As someone with a Psychology background, reading the essays felt like reading transcripts for research interviews. Each personal account contains a glut, a fantastic wealth, of material to analyze and parse through, with its many detailed memories and fortuitous emotional transparency. The minimal stylization of most essays create minimal interference between the text’s voice and of the writer’s. The focus being drastically different for specific portions of an essay basically shout the psychological impact for the person. Concepts that are entertained and subsequently peter off outline the phases in the writer’s grasps for meaning. For the goals of the overall work, this can add to the representation’s authenticity, which is a good thing. But for the personal essays as their own works, it’s not ideal.

While I fully agree with the idea of the Filipino LGBTIA+ experience being an evolving experience, as a reader I think that essays greatly benefit from having a) a central focus and b) closure. The closure doesn’t even have to be a closed door on further gender exploration—it can be closure on some minor plot thread to balance the inquisitiveness. If I were just a literature person, I would shore more validity to vagueness as a neutral object; however, I am a Psychology major, and I am very conscious of how our brains are hard-wired for closure.

To give the book credit, a sense of closure is present in some of the essays. Garden of Earthly Delights has the writer Rodrigo de la Peña Jr. fulfill a life goal; Reyna ng Mga Pusit talks about the life story of a brave, principled gay man whose conclusion tells us of his sad passing due to HIV with the assertion that he died with a life well-lived; “Passing”’s writer Roda Tajon grapples with the question of trans people’s gender performance, and ends her essay with a patient, steadfast commitment to her dignity as a woman. More or less half use closure in their essays, especially on the back half.

Considering this, I feel like some of the essays feeling confused (dare I say lost) comes down more to the need for revision. Like, yes, definitive answers to their gender question does not arrive for everyone in this book. But maybe the question could be allowed its vagueness, and on the flipside there’s an element added that is finite to aim for the work’s own success.

The Work as Parts: Compelling By Themselves
Being “good art” has many qualifiers. The book being good because its important is a given, for reasons outlined prior by the book’s own introduction and this very review. But as I close, I want to highlight the aspects I appreciated most, and say Plus/+ succeeds not just in purpose, but in execution. If it were merely a heavy-handed political statement, I wouldn’t have given it three stars. Fortunately, there are truly strong essays here—pieces that can resonate in varied literary contexts and appeal even to readers who may not initially agree with the book’s politics. The best essays in Plus/+ have the power to persuade—and they should—to advance the ongoing struggle for gender equality.


Highlights
Reyna ng mga Pusit
sifr
Garden of Earthly Delights
Ang (mga> lalaki sa buhay n(g) (ma-)elya
the Introduction
To my darling daughter, on your 18th birthday
“Passing”


Final Thoughts
Plus/+, at Iba Plus, Maramihan: New Philippine Nonfiction on Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities is an artistic political statement that legitimizes queer experiences by taking up space in Philippine literature, doing so by demonstrating the wide range of Filipino LGBTQIA+ stories. The rainbow kaleidoscope makes it a good read to start off Pride Month. Readers who don't necessarily pick up books for advocacies can also enjoy this work for its compelling human portraits.

*Disclaimer: Rolando Tolentino was my former boss.
*The use of queer is as a descriptor in non-West settings is currently being disputed, or at least problematicized. There are points of the argument in both sides that I agree with; however, as I write this, there’s no widely-accepted alternative words, so I use it here.
Profile Image for John.
308 reviews28 followers
June 27, 2023
Reading this collection felt like being in a conference amongst friends, listening to them tell their stories and lives. There is something commendable in an anthology like this non-fiction arm of a twosome edited by Rolando B. Tolentino and Chuckberry J. Pascual, and tagged as New Philippine Non/Fiction on Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities. The essays are fresh and the voices new and eager to share. While I think there were more misses than hits here, when it hit, it struck gold. My favorite essay here is Rodrigo Dela Peña Jr's Garden of Earthly Delights, a brilliant juxtaposition of queer lust and that of the famed triptych by Hieronymous Bosch, from which the essay got its title. It also undemonized the passion both found in the triptych and in queers, saying, “Sex, as Bosch vividly portrays in his canvas, is an act of unabashed freedom. It is ecstasy.” Another favorite is Third by Maynard Manansala, which sheds light on polyamory, a concept that is still unfamiliar and still often diminished in the current queer society in the country. And lastly, Stefani J. Alvarez's sifr, which bears a quality similar to fiction, remarkably told. Took me a while to finish, but still an enjoyable collection.
Profile Image for Sol.
11 reviews
November 2, 2025
Gets, understood, grasped, perceived, at iba pang mga synonyms ng #gets.

Ang koleksiyon ng mga maiikling storya ay humahalaw mula sa mga personal at taimtim na karanasan ng mga awtor. Na binubuo ng iba't ibang piling damdamin mula sa pagiging tago, pagnanasa, patuloy na pagkapa sa sariling identidad, at ang ganap na pagtanggap sa sarili bilang sarili. Para sa 'kin, tunay ngang kontemporaryo ang naging paksa(in) ng mga ilang storya rito at paniguradong makikitaan ng pagkakaugnay sa kapwa sariling pagkakakilanlan kung humahalili ang kasariaan sa LGBTQIA+. Ang mga sumusunod na storya ang aking pinakanaibigan at sadyang tumimo sa aking kaibuturang bilang people-person:

1. My Mother Learning Facebook ni Ria Valdez
2. "Passing" ni Roda Tajon
3. Disgrasyada ni John Jack Wigley
4. Lying, Conniving Nymphomaniac ni Julian Kara
5. Reyna ng mga Pusit ni Simon Paul Felismino
6. To my darling daughter... ni Jhoanna Lynn Cruz

Samatutal, lahat ng mga nailathalang storya rito ay maganda. Ngunit, ang mga ilang nabanggit at natipa sa numerical-with-no-particular-order sa taas ay ang mga sadyang akin lang talagang naibigan, yohoo!
Profile Image for Sasha Dalabajan.
229 reviews6 followers
July 6, 2025
Naisingit ko pa ito sa huling araw ng buwan bago magtapos ang Pride, pero huli man, ay di ito pahuhuli. Iba't ibang emosyon ang dala ng bawat sanaysay dito – merong paluluhain ka, patatawanin, minsan iisipin mong nasa inuman ka lang sa may kanto habang nakiki-tagay ng gin bilog kasama ang manunulat. Yun din naman ang mga kwentong pinakatumatak sa akin, yun bang parang nangungumpisal sayo ang manunulat dahil sobrang sensitibo ng kwento, pero sa totoo ay ibinabahagi lang niya ang parte ng kanyang sarili.

Ewan, parang kailangan ko rin atang balikan ang Abi Nako ni Jhoanna Lynn Cruz. Di ko siya nagustuhan nung unang basa, pero pagtapos ng huling sanaysay sa libro ay naisip kong, baka masyado kong hinusgahaan ang libro niya.

Siguro kung may puna ako sa koleksyong ito ay yung paghihinayang na makapagsama ng materyal mula sa ibang myembro ng LGBTQIA+ community. Bordering hypersexual kasi yung kubuuan ng libro. Napaisip lang ako kung anong tipo ng kwento ang maihahain ng mga myembro ng komunidad na di naman nakakaramadam ng sexual attraction.
Profile Image for miguel .
8 reviews1 follower
December 31, 2025
Transgressive, diverse, intellectually titillating. The collection of essays provides an unforgettable experience and learning about the Filipino LGBTQIA+. "Ang (mga) lalaki sa buhay n(g) (ma-)elya" is a personal fave, written in gay lingo, it tells a bear's experience in tasting the gay buffet scene. "In Trans-it in Philippine Literature" provides a great critique of what it means to be a lesbian writer and the inability of words to describe or own oneself fully. The order of stories is also wonderfully placed, starting with a nostalgic and seemingly domestic piece, "My Mother Learning Facebook" and ending with the sweet "To my darling daughter on your 18th birthday,".

Do read the editors' essay in the first part. Enjoy!
Profile Image for Meeko.
108 reviews5 followers
July 18, 2024
These stories are proof that like rainbow, our experiences as queer people are of different colors but are still beautiful. There is really something about reading real-life experiences from people in the community that makes me feel seen and not alone. This collection also allows the readers to peek into the stories of other people in the community with different SOGIE than them.

It’s fun and easy to read but full of exciting true stories from the LGBTQIA+ community.
Profile Image for Gab of Green Gables.
196 reviews6 followers
June 20, 2025
I had a nice reading experience with this collection of nonfiction stories on Filipino SOGIE.

Different perspectives and voices were featured from the LGBTQIA+ community. From being trans, bisexual, queer, gay, it's all in this book and well represented.

To be honest, the stories within this collection that were a hit or miss for me.

My favorites are "Reyna ng mga Pusit", "Third" and "To my darling daughter on your 18th birthday".
Profile Image for Ann Louise De Leon.
74 reviews11 followers
June 24, 2023
maganda ang aming antolohiya. Promise di sayang pera nyo kapag bumili kayo. Girls'Generation Forever!
Profile Image for Brent Ascaño.
8 reviews
December 12, 2025
Great entries. I need more. I may have liked the fiction volume a lot better but i also enjoyed some of the stories/essays in this one.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

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