Many who agree with this decision believe it is important to conserve the language, which is spoken by over 500 million people, according to a 2017 report by the Cervantes Institute in Spain.Īnother argument against “Latinx” is that it erases feminist movements in the 1970s that fought to represent women with the word “Latina,” Cadava said. The word was rejected in 2018 by the Real Academia Española, the official source on the Spanish language. However, as “Latinx” grows in popularity, it also becomes more controversial within the Latin American community. Many believe that the patriarchal nature of the Romantic language is not inclusive and can’t keep up with societal progress, as explained by this Twitter thread by investigative immigration reporter Aura Bogado. “In some cases, it was a rejection of binary gender politics.” “Latinx is an even further evolution that was meant to be inclusive of people who are queer or lesbian or gay or transgender,” said Cadava. 'Latinos' gained popularity as a rejection of the word 'Hispanic,' which many argued was imposed by the government.

have constantly been evolving over the course of history. George Cadava, Director of the Latina and Latino Studies program at Northwestern University, said terms to describe Latin Americans in the U.S. The gendered structure of the Spanish language has made 'Latinx' both an inclusive and controversial term.Įven though 'Latinos' technically refers to all genders of Latin American descent, it's still a masculine word in Spanish.įor example, a group of females would be called 'Latinas' and a group of males would be called 'Latinos.' However, a group of males and females of Latin American descent would revert to the masculine 'Latinos.'ĭemocratic debate: Beto O'Rourke speaks in Spanish while answering question on economyīilingual candidates: Beto O'Rourke, Cory Booker weren't the first to drop Spanish in a debate. Using the term 'Latinx' to refer to all people of Latin American decent has become more common as members in the LGBTQ community and its advocates have embraced the label. 'Latinx' is a gender-neutral term used in lieu of 'Latino' or 'Latina' to refer to a person of Latin American descent. So what does “Latinx” mean and why is there so much controversy surrounding it? Latinx/Latino/Latina It was also the first time many people heard the term and it probably won’t be the last as the candidates attempt to target young, progressive voters in their campaigns.Īnd while some public figures and politicians are quickly adapting to the term, others within the Latin American community are trying to resist it. When Senator Elizabeth Warren used “Latinx” in her opening remarks during the first Democratic debate Wednesday, it was one of the highest profile uses of the term since its conception.

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