Aviso del editor: si gustaría leer este articulo en español, sigue este link.
The term “Latinx” has always been interesting to me.
I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that when I first encountered it on social media a few years ago, I thought someone had made a typo. I wasn’t as exposed to the ever-evolving world of gender-inclusive language then as I am now, and I hadn’t thought about the inevitability that the evolution of my second language, English, might soon manifest itself in my native tongue, Spanish.
Apparently, I wasn’t alone.
A survey of 3,030 Hispanic individuals conducted by the Pew Research Center in December 2019 found only 3 percent of those surveyed used the term. Three-quarters of respondents had never even heard of it.
The arguments for and against its use are, of course, varied.
Some argue that its existence as a gender-neutral term helps to break the gender binary in the Spanish language and provides those in Spanish-speaking communities a term with which they can identify, particularly those who are non-binary.
Others argue the term doesn't work because of the gendered nature of the language, or that it represents a needless anglicism of Spanish imposed on Hispanic communities by non-Hispanic individuals.
Some prefer the use of "Latine" because it flows more easily with the language itself while still serving the same purpose as Latinx. Others think neither should be used.
