鈥淟atino鈥 and 鈥淗ispanic鈥 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, 鈥淟atinx鈥 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 鈥 47% have heard of it 鈥 only 4% or 1.9 million people use 鈥淟atinx鈥 to describe themselves, an increase of 1 percent since 2019, according to the study by the Pew Research Center.
鈥'Latinx' is more broadly known among U.S. Latinos today, but still few embrace it,鈥 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.
, about 鈥淟atinx,鈥 a new term has emerged: 鈥淟atine鈥 (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 鈥淟atinx,鈥 because in Spanish 鈥渆鈥 can be used to better note gender neutrality, said Josh Guzm谩n, an associate professor of gender studies at the University of California at Los Angeles.
In the U.S., 鈥淟atinx鈥 has more popularity than 鈥淟atine.鈥 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 鈥淗ispanic鈥 and 鈥淟atino.鈥
Guzm谩n said it is still important to respect those who do use either term.
鈥淭here 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,鈥 Guzm谩n said.
Jasmine Odalys, host of the podcast 鈥淗ella Latin@,鈥 said the term "Latinx 鈥渇eels either more corporate, more politically correct and very American.鈥
鈥淚 think it came from a community that wanted to feel acknowledged and seen,鈥 Odalys said. 鈥淚t turned, I think, into corporations maybe adopting it and making it so that it鈥檚 like a blanket term for our community. I think we鈥檙e almost like perpetuating the problem when we have one kind of quote-unquote inclusive term but then it鈥檚 not inclusive of everyone鈥檚 experiences.鈥
鈥淗ispanic鈥 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 鈥淟atino鈥 or 鈥淟atinx.鈥
, 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鈥檚 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 鈥淟atin鈥 started to become popular among Chicana feminists, according to Guzm谩n. The word 鈥淟atinx鈥 can also be traced to Latino youth and queer culture in the '90s, as a nod to people鈥檚 Indigenous roots.
Then in the early 2000s, 鈥淟atinx鈥 started to gain popularity when queer communities in Latin America started to use the 鈥榵鈥 in various words such as 鈥渂exos鈥 instead of 鈥渂esos,鈥 Spanish for 鈥渒isses,鈥 Guzm谩n said.
Eventually usage of the letter 鈥渪鈥 circulated to the United States, and it stuck.
In 2017, Elisabeth Rosario founded the 鈥淟atinx Collective,鈥 a newsletter highlighting achievements within the community. Rosario said the choice of name was a conscious effort to be open and inclusive.
鈥淟anguage is always going to evolve, and culture is always going to evolve, and the way that people think about their identity,鈥 Rosario said. 鈥淚 think we just have to be really aware about what makes people comfortable. And you are never going to make an entire group happy.鈥
Three years ago, Luis Torres founded the group 鈥淨ueer Latinxs in Tech.鈥 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鈥檚 gender identity and pronouns.
Despite choosing 鈥淟atinxs鈥 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 鈥淟atino鈥 rather than 鈥淟atinx,鈥 because that feels more natural to him.
鈥淚 think it is all about intention,鈥 Torres said. 鈥淚 think people who are trying to deliberately, with a good conscience, create a safe and inclusive environment, they use that word.鈥
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