“Latino” and “Hispanic” have long been the most prominent terms used to describe people in the U.S. with roots in Latin America and Spain. But over the last several years, “Latinx” has become a de-facto gender neutral alternative to Latino and Hispanic, according to a new study by race and ethnicity researchers.
Despite the increased awareness of the term among Latinos — 47% have heard of it — only 4% or 1.9 million people use “Latinx” to describe themselves, an increase of 1 percent since 2019, according to the study by the Pew Research Center.
“‘Latinx’ is more broadly known among U.S. Latinos today, but still few embrace it,” said Mark Lopez, Pew’s director of race and ethnicity research.
Of the Latinos who have heard the term, 36% view the usage of the term as a bad thing instead of a good thing, according to the study.
And with opinions mixed, about “Latinx,” a new term has emerged: “Latine” (pronounce LA TEE NEH). That term has gained popularity among people from Latin American countries and Spanish speakers who have pushed for the term to be used instead of “Latinx,” because in Spanish “e” can be used to better note gender neutrality, said Josh Guzmán, an associate professor of gender studies at the University of California at Los Angeles.
In the U.S., “Latinx” has more popularity than “Latine.” Only 18% of Hispanics have heard of the latter, according to the Pew study. Yet 75% of U.S. Latinos surveyed think the terms should not be used to describe the population, and 81% largely prefer “Hispanic” and “Latino.”
Guzmán said it is still important to respect those who do use either term.
“There is already so much difference within Latin communities that academics started debating whether there ever is going to be a term that will be adequate enough to cover all the different components to this identity,” Guzmán said.
Jasmine Odalys, host of the podcast “Hella Latin@,” said the term “Latinx “feels either more corporate, more politically correct and very American.”
“I think it came from a community that wanted to feel acknowledged and seen,” Odalys said. “It turned, I think, into corporations maybe adopting it and making it so that it’s like a blanket term for our community. I think we’re almost like perpetuating the problem when we have one kind of quote-unquote inclusive term but then it’s not inclusive of everyone’s experiences.”
“Hispanic” was coined by the federal government for people descended from Spanish-speaking cultures. But for some it has a connotation of political conservatism and emphasizes a connection to Spain and its colonial past. It sometimes gets mistakenly interchanged with “Latino” or “Latinx.”
Latin Americans are not a monolith, and there are multiple identifiers that depend largely on personal preference. Mexican Americans who grew up during the 1960s Civil Rights era may identify as Chicano. Others may go by their family’s nation of origin, such as Colombian American or Salvadoran American. For some, Latino reflects their ties to Latin America.
In the early 1990s, with the rise of the Internet, the usage of the @ character with “Latin” started to become popular among Chicana feminists, according to Guzmán. The word “Latinx” can also be traced to Latino youth and queer culture in the ’90s, as a nod to people’s Indigenous roots.
Then in the early 2000s, “Latinx” started to gain popularity when queer communities in Latin America started to use the ‘x’ in various words such as “bexos” instead of “besos,” Spanish for “kisses,” Guzmán said.
Eventually usage of the letter “x” circulated to the United States, and it stuck.
In 2017, Elisabeth Rosario founded the “Latinx Collective,” a newsletter highlighting achievements within the community. Rosario said the choice of name was a conscious effort to be open and inclusive.
“Language is always going to evolve, and culture is always going to evolve, and the way that people think about their identity,” Rosario said. “I think we just have to be really aware about what makes people comfortable. And you are never going to make an entire group happy.”
Three years ago, Luis Torres founded the group “Queer Latinxs in Tech.” Torres said that in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he lives, there is strong emphasis on inclusivity, and he wanted to reflect that and respect people’s gender identity and pronouns.
Despite choosing “Latinxs” for the name of the group, Torres said he and his friends change which term they use if they are unsure of who is around and depending on what feels more comfortable. With friends he uses the “Latino” rather than “Latinx,” because that feels more natural to him.
“I think it is all about intention,” Torres said. “I think people who are trying to deliberately, with a good conscience, create a safe and inclusive environment, they use that word.”
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