Kolboy: Denial, Disgust, and the Production of Value in Male Sex Work in the Philippines

by Carlo Tadiar

191 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Angelo Tenorio · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest I didn't expect to even finish a book (intended just for pleasure reading) for the rest of 2022 because I'm prioritizing reading something else. But since it's December, binigyan ko na talaga ng oras.
Kolboy, is a non-fiction book written by Carlo Tadiar about the exploration and theorization on the male prostitution here in the Philippines. It integrates various ideas in philosophy, psychology, and other fields in the social sciences in order to make sense about the Philippine male sex industry (it also touched on the dynamics of gender and being queer in the Philippines, third person accounts on the experiences of actual kolboys, and discussion on the dynamics of actual sex among gay men and the "bakla")
4/5 stars. I really enjoyed this. I really thought I wouldn't read this, but months ago I tried reading it for a preview but I couldn't stop and have to continue. I'm just reading something else so it still took me a while to finish it.
I really learned a lot of random crap in this book. Among my favorites are:
-The clear definition (and apparently mistranslation) of homosexual men here in the Philippines. May malaking pinag kaiba ang "gay" at "bakla" dito sa Pilipinas, hindi sya salin ng salita. I even shared the said misconception in class in my UTS subject (and I might share it in my other classes)
-I really loved reading the third person accounts of the kolboys. I think it's really my favorite part of the book. I learned how they operate, how they communicate and socialize with one another, and of course the revelation (for me, a reminder) of the sexuality of the actual kolboys. I learned as well what is actually going on in the gay bars and also the other bars at that time in metro manila
-I also appreciated the exploration of the deeper (and apparently, fetishized) relationship between the United States and the Philippines. That shit was deep.
-The book integrates a lot of Freud's ideas and that's why I got enticed to read more of his works as well

I didn't gave it a solid 5 since this book is really not easy to read. Masyadong malalim ang English ni Tadiar kaya minsan may mga sentences and paragraphs that I have to go back to. There's a chapter here that also dragged on and on in discussing theories, I found it quite boring for pleasure reading (b*tch, I'm reading a textbook when I'm reading this, I don't need to read more heavy material 😂😂) I can't blame him though, since this book was originally a thesis for his MA studies in New York. In connection to that, the book also didn't tackle the current trends in the sex market, not just among homosexuals but among heterosexuals as well. Hindi masyadong nabanggit ang mga sites and apps na ginagamit ngayon for prostitution (and of course hookups), pati narin yung frequency and liberation on sexuality, especially among gay men. Although it's not completely ignorant, it was mentioned in the foreword but not again for the rest of the book.
But the book is very comprehensive, interesting enough to get through (for me), and quite a workout for an academic like me. It even inspired me to explore qualitative research methods in the future 😂
It's not for everyone, but I recommend this for those who like (or used to) reading academic text and of course interested on the said topic. Support local! 😂

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very intellectual take on homosexuality and male prostitution. I should not be surprised because this was published by The University of the Philippines Press and seemed to be a requirement for graduation by the author. At the onset, the author defined "gay", "bakla" and "lalaki" and my head spun. And the definitions are very cerebral that I could not follow what he meant especially about the bakla in disgust of gay couples or the the male prostitute not truly lalaki because he fends his body for the gay and bakla. I know that if I paid more attention, I could have followed his thoughts but I just found it too complicated for my simple, or I should say lazy, mind for a cerebral book about male prostitutes.

The actual encounters with male prostitutes narrated by the author are the more interesting parts of this book. I know they existed before during the late 80's and early 90's whenever I drove late night (yes, I was almost always late in going home when I was still working in a Las Pinas plant) in semi-circle along Quezon Memorial Circle. During the recent decade or so, they have been gone. For me, the most surprising part of this book is that some of male sex workers are also homosexuals and using the argument of the author that lalaki is not truly a lalaki if he sells his body to same sex, the bakla who sells his body to fellow bakla is truly a bakla. I am sure I make sense here but I will not write a book.

Recommended to the intellectuals who want to know more about male prostitution in the Philippines.

[Mark Lester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ang lungkot-lungkot. Mas nalungkot.