Ron Does Stuff

With June being Pride Month, I had initially planned to read multiple queer books over the course of the month. However, real life didn’t quite agree with me so I ended up reading a lot less than I planned. And by a lot less I mean just one book.

I’m making an effort, I guess?

The one queer book I was able to read this Pride Month was Nang Mainlove Ako Sa Isang Sakristan by Richard Mercado. First published in 2019, the book tells the story of Didoy and Francis, with Didoy being the sakristan in the title. The two teenagers have been eyeing each other for quite some time now, with both of them trying to figure out if the other one likes them.

Things finally come to a head when Didoy and Francis find themselves alone at the back of the subdivision chapel. Their attraction finally boils over and they up kissing, a moment that would have been great and memorable if the two of them hadn’t been caught by Francis’ mom and Didoy’s father figure, the chapel priest.

Shocked that they’ve been found out, the two boys run away. Where will their journey take them and what will they learn about themselves along the way?

While it doesn’t seem that long ago, 2019 was actually half a decade ago. Yes, time isn’t real. But I think it’s important to keep the age of this book in mind in order to give it a fair shake. Because if you look at it with today’s lenses, it’s a pretty standard coming-of-age tale.

However, I feel like we should give it a little more grace considering Richard put it out halfway into the regime of a brutal and homophobic president. Given the environment at the time, giving the readers a world where the adults in your life are open and accepting about your sexual orientation is a welcome distraction.

The artwork also has enough of that dreamy quality that makes the comic feel like one of those hot summer days in your childhood where you think everything is possible and that adventure is around the corner. And Didoy and Francis do go on an adventure, albeit a short one.

The book also doesn’t shy away from the parts of being gay in the Philippines that masc for masc gays might prefer hidden. The parlorista gays are part of the story and are portrayed positively, showing them as a support system that may not be available to young queer people who may not find that support in their own homes.

If there’s anything that hobbles the book, it’s that it’s more like the first act of a full story than a whole story itself. There’s so much more to explore — the class divide between Didoy and Francis, for instance — but that’s something we’ll have to read about in a different book. If it was even made.

Nang Mainlove Ako Sa Isang Sakristan is a good enough read, if you can still find copies of it around. Just as long as you keep in mind that it’s a product of its time, that is.