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Don’t Tell Anyone: Literary Smut
If sex remains taboo in the Philippines, gay and lesbian sex is still even more unspoken. “How do you do it?” is still the most common question queer Pinoys get. Even after that question is answered, there is still the popular notion that only heterosexual sex is ‘the real thing,’ and anything else is just a deviation or an attempt to replicate the male-female dynamic of human contact.
This book makes up for this history of invalidation. An unprecedented dirty dozen, Sison’s and Casocot’s stories are direct and unflinching. They make no qualms or apologies about the nature of sex between two men or between two women. They explore courtship and contact between same-gender partners with humor, hesitation and obsession, and eventually take the reader with them as they reel from heartbreak.
Whether you consider straight sex ‘the real thing,’ or are among the LGBTQ community that is hungry for a true account of Filipino gay and lesbian loving, one thing this collection and its characters do, over and over without exhaustion, is to keep on trying.
This book makes up for this history of invalidation. An unprecedented dirty dozen, Sison’s and Casocot’s stories are direct and unflinching. They make no qualms or apologies about the nature of sex between two men or between two women. They explore courtship and contact between same-gender partners with humor, hesitation and obsession, and eventually take the reader with them as they reel from heartbreak.
Whether you consider straight sex ‘the real thing,’ or are among the LGBTQ community that is hungry for a true account of Filipino gay and lesbian loving, one thing this collection and its characters do, over and over without exhaustion, is to keep on trying.
- GenresFictionShort StoriesLGBT
164 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2017
13 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Ian Rosales Casocot
14 books42 followersIan Rosales Casocot has won the Don Carlos Palanca Award, the NVM Gonzalez Prize, and the Fully-Booked/Neil Gaiman Philippine Graphic/Fiction Award for his fiction. He was a fellow for fiction in the national writers’ workshops in Dumaguete, Baguio, Cebu, and Iligan, and was a writer-in-residence for the International Writing Program in the University of Iowa. His books include FutureShock Prose: An Anthology of Young Writers and New Literatures, which was nominated as Best Anthology in the National Book Awards given by the Manila Critics Circle; Old Movies and Other Stories; and Heartbreak & Magic: Stories of Fantasy and Horror. His novel Sugar Land was long-listed in the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize. He lives in Dumaguete City.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 4, 2021
Local erotica at its best. Erotica aims to arouse your senses. To titillate. Fine. But this book is more than that. This is literary. The writings of Casocot and Sison are flawless. Crisp. Eloquent yet definitely shameless. The stories, the words, hit you in the groin as well as up there in your head.
In her introduction of the book, Sison mentioned that this could be the book that you will hide to everyone while reading: "bury under your bed and wrap its cover with plain paper." This is unnecessary or even unforgivable. Books like this are no longer smut these days. Gone were the days when porn at home are your father's and it is somewhere in a locked cabinet. Now, porn is just a click away. Hiding this kind of book is making the works of Anais Nin and James Baldwin inaccessible to Filipinos. Based on what I read, Casocot and Sison are in their leagues.
Juxtaposition of male and female in the third-sex worlds. For the uninformed or the naive, this book directly answers what gay men and lesbians do in bed to satisfy their carnal desires. No holds barred yet the emotion, could be love, is there. I am not sure if they are true but the writings of Casocot and Sison sound sincere if not sinfully honest. Which one did I like best? Sison writing lesbian F2F stories or Casocot's gay M2M actions? Sison's is more carnal while Casocot is more emotional. There is a world of difference in there but they are both ohhh so goood.
In her introduction of the book, Sison mentioned that this could be the book that you will hide to everyone while reading: "bury under your bed and wrap its cover with plain paper." This is unnecessary or even unforgivable. Books like this are no longer smut these days. Gone were the days when porn at home are your father's and it is somewhere in a locked cabinet. Now, porn is just a click away. Hiding this kind of book is making the works of Anais Nin and James Baldwin inaccessible to Filipinos. Based on what I read, Casocot and Sison are in their leagues.
Juxtaposition of male and female in the third-sex worlds. For the uninformed or the naive, this book directly answers what gay men and lesbians do in bed to satisfy their carnal desires. No holds barred yet the emotion, could be love, is there. I am not sure if they are true but the writings of Casocot and Sison sound sincere if not sinfully honest. Which one did I like best? Sison writing lesbian F2F stories or Casocot's gay M2M actions? Sison's is more carnal while Casocot is more emotional. There is a world of difference in there but they are both ohhh so goood.
July 10, 2020
"Don't Tell Anyone: Literary Smut" by Ian Rosales Casocot and Shakira Sison is a short story collection with 12 erotic stories with characters in the LGBTQIA+ community. This collection does not attempt to sugarcoat sex; it does not pair sex with shame or discomfort. By contrast, it speaks about the reality of gay and lesbian sex unapologetically.
July 19, 2019
Written by Ian Rosales Casocot and Shakira Andrea Sison, this anthology of "literary smut," as its subtitle has it, is superior erotica. Both authors are seasoned writers and award winners, but we all know how easy it is to write badly about sex. Casocot avoids the pitfall deftly by experimenting in literary form. "Road Trip" is told backwards, from climax to set-up. "Tell Him" is written mostly through dialogue. "The Thank You Girl" is all foreplay--so, so tantalizing. The highlight of his section is surely his much-anthologized story "The Boys From Rizal Street," which acquires its sexiness through sameness and difference. The form of these stories serves the sex but it is also true that the sex inspires the form.
May 16, 2019
Initially I dropped this book after reading the first two stories because I was, to be honest, overwhelmed by the amount of fucking (I mean this literally) scenes it has. It took me by surprise since it was my first time reading local erotica, especially one that includes a lesbian/gay sex, so maybe I was just really caught off guard. But after a year I finally decided to read it again, and it didn't overwhelm me as much as before. I honestly liked Casocot's collection more than Sison's--they hold much brevity, plot and interesting characters. Casocot managed to balance the erotica in his work, which I really liked as I was able to enjoy it, rather than Sison's which was a little bit too much on the sex that I didn't really get to know the characters well.
August 19, 2025
Umaapaw sa kantutan at katalinuhan ang mga kwento nina Ian Rosales Casocot at Shakira Andrea Sison sa librong ito. Maglalawa ang kiffy mo sa dami ng maiinit at malalaswang tagpo rito. 💦💦💦
Hindi ako makarelate at all sa mga kwento ni Shakira tungkol sa relasyon at pakikipagtalik ng mga lesbiyana, pero kitang-kita ko sa isip ang mga eksenang nilikha niya rito.
Laglag ang panga ko, Day!
Syempre, di ako tinigasan. Bakla nga ako, di ba? Pero di rin naman ako nandiri. In fact, ang dami kong natutuhan sa anatomy ng babae at kung ano ang nagpapaungol at nagpapabasa sa kanila.
Nalaman ko rin na sky is the limit pala ang tinatagal ng kantutan ng mga lesbiyana dahil kahit labasan na sila, di sila nilalambot o nawawalan ng gana tulad ng mga lalaki. Bago ‘to sa’kin.
Mapapasanaol ka na lang.
Pero pagdating sa mga kwento ni Ian, Ay, Day! Kulang na lang magsalsal ako habang nagbabasa.
Masasabi kong master talaga si Ian ng short story dahil kahit mahahaba ang kwento n’ya, di ako nabagot o nanlambot at nawalan ng gana. Ang husay-husay ng buildup, nakakatigas ng etits ang mga tagpo, at sobrang satisfying ang wakas.
Wala ritong kwento na pa-deep ang ending o sobrang bitin na parang tinamad ang writer. Wala ring namatay sa mga bida tulad ng madalas nating mabasa pag kwentong bakla.
Ibahin mo ang koleksyong ito.
Sobrang nagustuhan ko ang mga akda ni Ian, at parang nahihiya nga akong basahin kasi para akong nagbabasa ng diary o confessions. Pero at the same time, sobrang grateful ako kasi napakagenerous, napakahonest at napakaraw ng mga kwento.
Raw in terms of emotions and sex scenes, ha? Hindi raw as in hilaw yung pagkakasulat. Walang hilaw na akda rito. Lahat pam-Palanca ang kaledad.
Orgasmic! 💦💦💦
Pero kahit pulos kantutan ang nilalaman ng librong ito, hindi naman kinulang sa puso at sa utak. May kurot sa puso, may kurot sa utak, at may kurot sa kepay. Wala na akong mahihiling pa.
After kong mabasa ang librong ito, dalawang bagay ang tumimo sa puso’t isip ko: Ang sayang maging bakla, at ang sarap mabuhay.
Rating: 4.5/5
Hindi ako makarelate at all sa mga kwento ni Shakira tungkol sa relasyon at pakikipagtalik ng mga lesbiyana, pero kitang-kita ko sa isip ang mga eksenang nilikha niya rito.
Laglag ang panga ko, Day!
Syempre, di ako tinigasan. Bakla nga ako, di ba? Pero di rin naman ako nandiri. In fact, ang dami kong natutuhan sa anatomy ng babae at kung ano ang nagpapaungol at nagpapabasa sa kanila.
Nalaman ko rin na sky is the limit pala ang tinatagal ng kantutan ng mga lesbiyana dahil kahit labasan na sila, di sila nilalambot o nawawalan ng gana tulad ng mga lalaki. Bago ‘to sa’kin.
Mapapasanaol ka na lang.
Pero pagdating sa mga kwento ni Ian, Ay, Day! Kulang na lang magsalsal ako habang nagbabasa.
Masasabi kong master talaga si Ian ng short story dahil kahit mahahaba ang kwento n’ya, di ako nabagot o nanlambot at nawalan ng gana. Ang husay-husay ng buildup, nakakatigas ng etits ang mga tagpo, at sobrang satisfying ang wakas.
Wala ritong kwento na pa-deep ang ending o sobrang bitin na parang tinamad ang writer. Wala ring namatay sa mga bida tulad ng madalas nating mabasa pag kwentong bakla.
Ibahin mo ang koleksyong ito.
Sobrang nagustuhan ko ang mga akda ni Ian, at parang nahihiya nga akong basahin kasi para akong nagbabasa ng diary o confessions. Pero at the same time, sobrang grateful ako kasi napakagenerous, napakahonest at napakaraw ng mga kwento.
Raw in terms of emotions and sex scenes, ha? Hindi raw as in hilaw yung pagkakasulat. Walang hilaw na akda rito. Lahat pam-Palanca ang kaledad.
Orgasmic! 💦💦💦
Pero kahit pulos kantutan ang nilalaman ng librong ito, hindi naman kinulang sa puso at sa utak. May kurot sa puso, may kurot sa utak, at may kurot sa kepay. Wala na akong mahihiling pa.
After kong mabasa ang librong ito, dalawang bagay ang tumimo sa puso’t isip ko: Ang sayang maging bakla, at ang sarap mabuhay.
Rating: 4.5/5
August 25, 2025
"Love is not a thing to be confined in a little room: it needs the expansiveness of oceans."
I first encountered this work in the years before the pandemic. I remember reading the sampler, only to realize I had inadvertently pressed the purchase button. At over five hundred pesos, it felt steep at the time—but it proved entirely worth it. Amidst its messiness and sorrow, the book stirred in me an almost reckless desire to fall in love again. Here, the text gestures toward the paradox of pain: how suffering itself can feel intoxicating, even necessary, as though one must be wounded in order to feel fully alive.
The characters are sharp-edged, believable, profoundly relatable. I confess, I felt a sudden erotic charge imagining Samuel from Boys of Rizal Street—while the tender, vulnerable moment shared by Stephen and Julian in a car lingers in my memory with almost unbearable intimacy. The title itself, Tell Him, is an inspired choice: it resonates like a duet between Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand, swelling toward an explosive culmination—a surrender at once sweet and wrathful, consumed by jealousy and love’s ferocity. This is a book that etches itself indelibly in the mind, one I suspect will haunt me for years to come.
And then there is the daring narrative of the male hustler who, with ironic poignancy, experiences violation when he himself is paid by a fourteen-year-old student.
But perhaps most vital of all, Ian compels me to be performative in my own art—to write as though lip-synching for one’s very life. The book is not merely read; it is inhabited, enacted, and ultimately, it teaches us how to risk the fullness of desire.
I first encountered this work in the years before the pandemic. I remember reading the sampler, only to realize I had inadvertently pressed the purchase button. At over five hundred pesos, it felt steep at the time—but it proved entirely worth it. Amidst its messiness and sorrow, the book stirred in me an almost reckless desire to fall in love again. Here, the text gestures toward the paradox of pain: how suffering itself can feel intoxicating, even necessary, as though one must be wounded in order to feel fully alive.
The characters are sharp-edged, believable, profoundly relatable. I confess, I felt a sudden erotic charge imagining Samuel from Boys of Rizal Street—while the tender, vulnerable moment shared by Stephen and Julian in a car lingers in my memory with almost unbearable intimacy. The title itself, Tell Him, is an inspired choice: it resonates like a duet between Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand, swelling toward an explosive culmination—a surrender at once sweet and wrathful, consumed by jealousy and love’s ferocity. This is a book that etches itself indelibly in the mind, one I suspect will haunt me for years to come.
And then there is the daring narrative of the male hustler who, with ironic poignancy, experiences violation when he himself is paid by a fourteen-year-old student.
But perhaps most vital of all, Ian compels me to be performative in my own art—to write as though lip-synching for one’s very life. The book is not merely read; it is inhabited, enacted, and ultimately, it teaches us how to risk the fullness of desire.
May 8, 2025
Some stories in Don’t Tell Anyone reminded me of one of my favorite classics, Giovanni’s Room, and I think that’s already a solid testament to how much I loved this collection.
It perfectly captured the feelings I’ve been trying to express in my own writing lately. It wasn’t just erotic—it also took my breath away with how sharp and honest its points were. I’m glad I read this book at this stage in my life. Having gone through a few heartbreaks and lived experiences, I don’t think I would’ve appreciated it as deeply if I had read it years ago. There’s a kind of quiet devastation in the way these stories unfold, and I felt seen, both in the best and worst ways.
I actually ordered this book on a whim, just craving more gay stories, so I was surprised to find myself deeply enjoying the sapphic pieces too, even though I don’t usually gravitate toward those. That’s how good the writing is.
My top 3 favorites from this collection:
1. compartments
2. the boys from Rizal Street
3. the teachers
It perfectly captured the feelings I’ve been trying to express in my own writing lately. It wasn’t just erotic—it also took my breath away with how sharp and honest its points were. I’m glad I read this book at this stage in my life. Having gone through a few heartbreaks and lived experiences, I don’t think I would’ve appreciated it as deeply if I had read it years ago. There’s a kind of quiet devastation in the way these stories unfold, and I felt seen, both in the best and worst ways.
I actually ordered this book on a whim, just craving more gay stories, so I was surprised to find myself deeply enjoying the sapphic pieces too, even though I don’t usually gravitate toward those. That’s how good the writing is.
My top 3 favorites from this collection:
1. compartments
2. the boys from Rizal Street
3. the teachers
October 10, 2019
Very explicit, artistic, words were made with feels, and situation of the characters felt like it was real.
Was reading this for my thesis purposes but as I read it, I have found these short stories compilation interesting and somewhat relatable to those who were the victims of love, most especially in homosexuality. Because of this book, I finally understood on how they behave and interact with one another. I fully recommend everyone to check this one out because the stories will melt you down to the intense feels, whether if you're straight or a gay/lesbian/bisexual, etc.
Was reading this for my thesis purposes but as I read it, I have found these short stories compilation interesting and somewhat relatable to those who were the victims of love, most especially in homosexuality. Because of this book, I finally understood on how they behave and interact with one another. I fully recommend everyone to check this one out because the stories will melt you down to the intense feels, whether if you're straight or a gay/lesbian/bisexual, etc.
December 28, 2024
yung short stories ni sison para akong nanonood ng porn. very mechanical and almost animal yung mga characters. reduced ang sex into just that, sex. libog lang. meanwhile, yung kay casocot napaka complex ng characters, may tenderness, ang intimate. bastos pero wala sa mga salita yung kabastusan kung hindi nasa characters mismo. ang galing!
August 27, 2018
The first time i read this, i felt so alive. All throughout, i felt so represented. For the first time ever, my stories, my life (as a lesbian--particularly) was represented in these authentic stories that felt different levels of familiar and pulsing.
June 26, 2021
I haven't tabbed a book this much since Evelyn Hugo and We Are The Ants. I felt turned on for, like, 5% of the whole reading experience, but for the most part, I only felt pain, thrill, and nostalgia. I'm taking a star out of my overall rating because there are typos left in the book.
October 9, 2018
“Smell is the strongest trigger of one’s memory” #ldr
November 8, 2025
I am Pavlov’s dog, and a glimmer of heartbreak still to come is the exquisite sound of a bell ringing.
I fell in love with Casocot’s writing when I read his short story collection Bamboo Girls. Since then, I’ve been on the hunt for physical copies of his other books. I think this might be the only book that’s still on sale/in print? I scored this copy during MIBF 2025.
The book starts with All My Broken I Love You’s, Sison’s stories of lesbian sex. I found them carnal and animalistic (which isn’t a bad thing!) but I feel like it lacked the emotional depth I needed to get me there, so to speak. This becomes so painfully obvious when the book transitions to Ian Rosales Casocot’s section, All the Loves of My Life. His writing is so emotional, real, and poetic. I wonder if he’s a Water sign? lol
Other thoughts:
Is there a study about the overlap of incest and homosexuality in the Philippines, or at least in Philippine literature? It’s so interesting that incest is a quite common theme in local gay literature.
Age gap romance is another that makes its usual appearance in gay lit; but the story Cruising had an interesting take on the ending. It’s honestly my first time reading about a character who felt bad or guilty about it.
As part of the wuhluhwuh (lol) it pains me to say that the lesbian stories weren’t my favorites. Really enjoyed the latter half though! My favorite stories were The Boys from Rizal Street and Compartments.
Enjoyed it! 3.5
I fell in love with Casocot’s writing when I read his short story collection Bamboo Girls. Since then, I’ve been on the hunt for physical copies of his other books. I think this might be the only book that’s still on sale/in print? I scored this copy during MIBF 2025.
The book starts with All My Broken I Love You’s, Sison’s stories of lesbian sex. I found them carnal and animalistic (which isn’t a bad thing!) but I feel like it lacked the emotional depth I needed to get me there, so to speak. This becomes so painfully obvious when the book transitions to Ian Rosales Casocot’s section, All the Loves of My Life. His writing is so emotional, real, and poetic. I wonder if he’s a Water sign? lol
Other thoughts:
Is there a study about the overlap of incest and homosexuality in the Philippines, or at least in Philippine literature? It’s so interesting that incest is a quite common theme in local gay literature.
Age gap romance is another that makes its usual appearance in gay lit; but the story Cruising had an interesting take on the ending. It’s honestly my first time reading about a character who felt bad or guilty about it.
As part of the wuhluhwuh (lol) it pains me to say that the lesbian stories weren’t my favorites. Really enjoyed the latter half though! My favorite stories were The Boys from Rizal Street and Compartments.
Enjoyed it! 3.5
March 4, 2018
"Love is sometimes like being lost in the heart of the deep, without direction - but in itself, ironically, also its own strange compass. Love is immense. Love is borderless. Love is not a thing to be confined in a little room: it needs the expansiveness of oceans."
Written by Shakira Sison and Sir Ian Rosales Casocot, Don’t Tell Anyone unapologetically brings to you 12 short stories of same-sex smut. It is separated into two parts: starting with stories about women loving women by Sison, followed by Sir Ian's stories of men loving men. It's about love - in all its forms - including heartbreak, as well. In fact, these stories are so real and raw that they might even make you blush.
That said, I definitely preferred Sir Ian's stories more - and I'm not just saying that because he was my professor in college. (Hi, Sir! Hehehehe). Their stories were great, actually, but there was just something significantly different about Sir Ian's writing style. His stories were more emotional and heartwarming peppered with sexual encounters, whereas Sison's was composed of raw, straight up fucking. In a way, there's something for everybody, whether you prefer the former or the latter.
However, as someone who is within the ace spectrum of the rainbow, I had a hard time relating to the characters because lusting over people isn't a normal occurrence for me. That said, it definitely was very interesting to read about lesbian and gay relationships, and all its ups and downs. At the end of the day, as Lin-Manuel Miranda once said, "love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love..."
Written by Shakira Sison and Sir Ian Rosales Casocot, Don’t Tell Anyone unapologetically brings to you 12 short stories of same-sex smut. It is separated into two parts: starting with stories about women loving women by Sison, followed by Sir Ian's stories of men loving men. It's about love - in all its forms - including heartbreak, as well. In fact, these stories are so real and raw that they might even make you blush.
That said, I definitely preferred Sir Ian's stories more - and I'm not just saying that because he was my professor in college. (Hi, Sir! Hehehehe). Their stories were great, actually, but there was just something significantly different about Sir Ian's writing style. His stories were more emotional and heartwarming peppered with sexual encounters, whereas Sison's was composed of raw, straight up fucking. In a way, there's something for everybody, whether you prefer the former or the latter.
However, as someone who is within the ace spectrum of the rainbow, I had a hard time relating to the characters because lusting over people isn't a normal occurrence for me. That said, it definitely was very interesting to read about lesbian and gay relationships, and all its ups and downs. At the end of the day, as Lin-Manuel Miranda once said, "love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love..."
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews