Rolando B. Tolentino and Chuckberry J. Pascual, eds. Plus/+, at Iba Plus, Maramihan: New Philippine Nonfiction on Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2022. 200 pp.

Authors

Artemio P. Millo Jr., Ateneo de Manila UniversityFollow

Abstract

Excerpt: Plus/+, at Iba Plus, Maramihan: New Philippine Nonfiction on Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities, edited by Rolando B. Tolentino and Chuckberry J. Pascual, is a collection of fifteen biographical stories centering on the embodiments and sensibilities of Filipino queers in the Philippines and abroad. These personal narratives are authored by contributors who, among others, are writers—mostly from the academe, authors of books and literary works, and teachers. The ontology, written largely in Tagalog, English, and Swardspeak,1 explores the diverse, multi-faceted, and complex gender-making intertwined with LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersect, Asexual, and other sexual and gender identities) identity politics. “Plus/+, at Iba Plus, Maramihan” (Plus/+, and others, Plurality) in the title is emblematic of the editors’ formulation of LGBTQIA+ that invokes two meanings: (a) differential markings of LGBTQIA+ from heterosexuality where the assertion of being ‘other’2 is a recognition of otherness (kaibahan), othering (ipinagkaiba), and being different; and (b) the recognition of the plurality of gender and sexual identities in the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and that there can be multiple lenses toward understanding gender identity and sexuality.

Recommended Citation

Millo, Artemio P. Jr. (2025) "Rolando B. Tolentino and Chuckberry J. Pascual, eds. Plus/+, at Iba Plus, Maramihan: New Philippine Nonfiction on Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2022. 200 pp.," Social Transformations Journal of the Global South: Vol. 11: Iss. 2, Article 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13185/2799-015X.1192
Available at: https://archium.ateneo.edu/socialtransformations/vol11/iss2/6