STAFF WRITER – MICHELLE RAMIREZ-RANGEL
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT 4, 2023
To define Latinx, one must understand its history. Dr. CantuSanchez, Ph.D. a Visiting Assistant Professor of English and the Coordinator of Mexican American Studies Symposium at St. Mary’s University says, “The term ‘Latinx’ is one that arose in the early 2000s and was developed and utilized by academics, scholars, and LGBTQ+ activists to be inclusionary of non-binary and other LGBTQ+ individuals. This is in direct contrast to the masculine and feminine binaries used in the Spanish language when ascribing the ‘o’ ending to terms like Latino to mean males or the ‘a’ ending to ‘Latina’ to refer to females, which might be seen as problematic to those who do not ascribe to traditional gender binaries. The term is not widely known beyond academia and activists and when it is used in public is often ridiculed by the mainstream.”
Many of the younger generations tend to be more accepting of “Latinx” as it’s more inclusive, and they strive to encourage older generations to use it too. Despite their efforts, the term is not widely used as Dr. Cantu-Sanchez explains, “Ultimately, scholars, academics and activists use the terms ‘Latinx,’ ‘Chicanx’ and ‘folx,’ in an attempt to be more inclusionary.” According to a national bilingual survey of U.S. Hispanic adults conducted in Dec. 2019 by Pew Research Center, only 23% of U.S. adults who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino have heard of the term Latinx, and merely 3% claim they use it to describe themselves.
Ashley Castillo, a St. Mary’s University senior political science major, says, “When I first heard the term Latinx I was a bit confused as to how it was different [from] being Hispanic and whether I would be considered a part of that group.” Despite many saying that “Latinx” is a progressive, “woke” term due to it not being gender-conforming, many Hispanics argue against its usage. In July 2022, both Argentina and Spain banned the usage of “Latinx” or any gender-neutral term arguing that it goes against the rules of the Spanish language. It’s interesting because it concerns governments against this term, which raises the question, is “Latinx” appropriate outside of academics?
Government officials in the U.S. are against the usage of ”Latinx” in official government documents. U.S. Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz argued on Twitter that the term was invented by “woke liberals” who want to make Hispanics “feel like victims.” The usage of the term by staff has been banned by U.S. Congressman Ruben Gallego because he argues it is used to “appease rich progressives.” Although the term raises political controversy, its usage is slowly increasing due to its continuous introduction to the academic world. Regardless of its controversy, many are happy to finally have a group where they can identify as themselves, a group that encompasses Black Latinos, transgender Latinos, queer Latinos, Indigenous Latinos and Spanish-speaking Cuban Americans in Florida. Dr. Cantu-Sanchez mentions, “Some native Spanish speakers also have a problem with the term given the difficulty of pronouncing the ‘x’ in the same way one might in English so they might use the term Latine (lah-teen-eh).” This term better adheres to Spanish grammar while remaining gender-neutral. Most Hispanics don’t identify with the term “Latinx.” It’s not a commonly used word in Spanish speaking countries and was introduced by Americans with higher educational backgrounds making it difficult to be accepted by the Hispanic community. The majority will prefer to be referred to as “Latinos” or “Latinas” because that is what they feel closely related to.