Point At Issue: Latino, Latina, or Latinx?

Nisian Hughes

A little less than half of the world’s population speaks a gendered language, meaning that these individuals rely upon dialect, categorizing nouns by sex, either masculine or feminine. 

But what happens when individuals do not identify as either of these sex-based categories?

The Spanish word, Latino, refers to male individuals of Latin American descent, while Latina categorizes females of Latin American descent. However, the term “Latino” can refer to either gender when in a group, even if it is one male and four females, the word still imposes the masculine gender. 

Thus, the term “Latinx” was crafted as a gender-neutral neologism. As defined in Lexico, the Oxford English/Spanish dictionary, Latinx is a noun, pronounced “La-TEE-nex,” that refers to “a person of Latin American origin or descent (used as a gender-neutral or non-binary alternative to Latino or Latina).” Latinx allows speakers to categorize groups or individuals as a being, one that does not focus on one’s gender. Thus, it is more inclusive for individuals who consider themselves questioning, non-binary, or gender-fluid. It operates much like the term “they” in English. 

This inclusivity speaks to the numbers: according to a GenForward Survey, 22% of Latinx individuals identify themselves as LGBTQ, more than any other racial group. At the same time, 61% of Latinxs surveyed mention that there is “a lot” of discrimination against queer-identifying individuals in their racial group. Does the term “Latinx” genuinely support those who identify as that?

According to a mitú video hosted by #TheKatCall, “Latinx replacing the universal ‘Latino’ is like using ‘police officer’ instead of ‘policeman.” It is merely more inclusive. For Cris Cardenas, who spoke in this episode of #TheKatCall, Latinx is a way for them to identify because Latina and Latino do not cater to their identity. As a trans and gender non-conforming person, Cris says, “Latinx makes me feel accepted and acknowledged.” 

Unfortunately for Kat Lazo, the director of #TheKatCall, the audience’s reaction to the video was not met with the same accepting energy that she presented. In the comment section, some viewers expressed their concerns and distaste with the term, writing comments like, “As a Hispanic, I am embarrassed that this video exists,” “This just further proves the feminist movement is insane,” or “so they want to change Spanish grammar, no thanks.”. 

But will “Latinx” catch on? 

Darlene Demorizi of VICE Media wondered the same thing. So, she went to the Washington Heights neighborhood in New York City to ask individuals on the street how they identify themselves, as either Hispanic, Latino, Latina, or Latinx in a YouTube episode of Dee On The Street. One man interviewed said, “As a gay man, a lot of people use [Latinx].” Another individual said, “I think [Latinx] is really positive; it’s a really good way to beat misogyny that is woven into a language.” 

Since “Latinx” is mostly used among a small, educated population, or amongst BIPOC or LGBTQ allies, some argue that the term will not catch on with the greater community, or make strides worldwide. David Bowles, an author and an assistant professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, says, “I am just a few miles from the Mexican border. If I were going down to the local taquería, they wouldn’t know what you are saying if you used the term.”

Many argue that because “Latinx” is only popularized within certain academic circles, it is an elitist term. Two Latino-identifying student journalists, Gilbert Guerra and Gilbert Orbea, co-authored an opinion article in Swarthmore College’s newspaper, The Phoenix. They wrote that the term “Latinx” should not be imposed upon Spanish cultures as the name originated within American academic institutions and is “virtually nonexistent in any Spanish-speaking country.” Thus, the creation of Latinx, from their perspective, is a form of linguistic imperialism that attempts to fix the Spanish language. Because the Spanish language relies on the pronunciation of many words with the masculine or feminine ending of “o” or “a” the term Latinx as an alternative for native Spanish speakers does not make sense from a linguistic standpoint, therefore excluding Spanish speakers and non-binary Spanish speakers. Guerra and Orbea write that Latinx: “serves as an American way to erase the Spanish language...Spanish is a gendered language. If you take the gender out of every word, you are no longer speaking Spanish.”

For others, the term Latinx seeks to end misogyny. G Cristina Amora, an associate professor of sociology at The University of California Berkeley, says that Latinx is supposed to function as a gender-neutral term. According to her experiences with the word, Latinx refuses to “reaffirm the patriarchy inherent in language,” in this case, how a group of men and women would be referred to as “Latinos” in the Spanish language. Amora, whose parents immigrated from Mexico, appreciates Latinx as a newfound, positive term - not an imperialistic one. Amora says, “This is a generation that has emerged with different understandings about gender and sexuality. [Latinx] pushes against that idea that we should be gendered in the first place.”

When searching for a consensus on whether or not white or BIPOC individuals should address Latin American descent as Hispanic, Latino, Latina, or Latinx, the best thing to do is ask. Allow those who may identify as one of these terms to create those boundaries themselves, so that respect centers itself within the conversation. Ask these individuals their preferences and their pronouns. Most of all, allow them to express their contentions or concerns with the emergence of Latinx in our society.