Lesbian Visibility Week: Filipino WLW books to add to your TBR list
It’s the “L” in the LGBTQ+ rainbow’s turn in the spotlight.
From April 24 to 30, 2023, the world celebrates Lesbian Visibility Week to show solidarity and support toward women and non-binary individuals who love women.
LGBTQ+ stories need to be told, and reading about them is one way to educate yourself about the struggles those in the community face. It’s also a great way for those who are in the closet to come into their own and figure out who they are.
To celebrate #LVW2023, We The Pvblic is highlighting some very gay books written by local sapphic writers who have penned their experiences about what it’s like to be WLW in a conservative nation like the Philippines.
Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin
In Elisa A. Bonnin’s debut YA novel Dauntless, she builds a fantasy world revolving around teen girl Seri who lives in a world where beasts crawl the earth. Her world changes when she meets Tsana, a stranger from another world.
As they grow closer, their worlds begin to collide, with deadly consequences. With their world on the brink of war, Seri must find a way to make peace.
Don’t Tell My Mother by Brigitte Bautista
19-year-old Sam has no problem navigating through Christian suburbia, especially with her overly zealous mother watching over her. But when she meets Clara, her widowed neighbor and the town outcast, everything changes. As their friendship grows into something more, Sam is forced to examine her religious upbringing and come to terms with who she really is.
Don’t Tell Anyone: Literary Smut by Ian Rosales Casocot and Shakira Andrea Sison
Something queer people hear a lot when people talk about gay and lesbian sex is, “How do you do it?” While people still expect a similar male-female dynamic, this anthology makes up for the history of invalidation.
Ian Rosales Casocot and Shakira Andrea Sison compile stories that make no qualms or apologies about the nature of sex between two men or between two women. It also explores the courtship and experience between same-gender couples.
Abi Nako, Or So I Thought by Jhoanna Lynn B. Cruz
Dr. Jhoanna Lynn B. Cruz details her first 10 years in Davao City in this memoir, where she moved after her heterosexual marriage failed. She also shares her experience rebuilding her life as a single mother and (re)freshing herself as a writer and a lesbian.
Wildfire: Filipina Lesbian Writings by Gantala Press
Another anthology, Wildfire is a literary folio gathering the diverse voices of lesbians in various communities in the Philippines. It highlights not only the queer identities but also the struggles, pains, and triumphs of women-loving women.
Alon and Lila’s Last Summer Before Doomsday by Ingrid Valenzuela
Fresh high school grads Alon and Lila are spending their last summer together before they go off to college in Manila. One day, they come across a strange man at the market who claims that doomsday is real and this is their last summer left. With the “end of the world” nearing, the duo opens up about their feelings about the inevitable change, past trauma, and pure love.
Read more: Coming out shouldn’t be an obligation
The post <b>Lesbian Visibility Week: Filipino WLW books to add to your TBR list</b> appeared first on WE THE PVBLIC.
Source: we the pvblic
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