By Kyle Arechiga

The term Latinx, which originated in the early 2000s, is defined as “a gender-neutral or nonbinary alternative to Latino or Latina.” Originally embraced by social media activists, college students, and academics who advocated for non-binary and queer individuals, it has sparked debate within the Spanish-speaking community. 

In contrast to Latinx, Latine, another non-binary word emerging around the same time, was crafted by feminists and LGBTQ communities in Spanish-speaking countries, rather than the United States. Unlike Latinx, Latine lacks an official definition, yet it aligns more closely with Spanish linguistic principles. It acknowledges the gender-neutral nature of certain Spanish words ending with an ‘e,’ such as “estudiante.”

Latinx is not grammatically correct, as the letter “x” is not pronounced the same in Spanish as it is in English. Therefore, Latinx is not a real Spanish word. Despite the language discrepancies, Latinx tends to be the more popular term for the Spanish-speaking community in the United States. 

Many students are indifferent to the terms, however. 

“I don’t care about the words Latine and Latinx because other people can say what they want,” junior Aurelio Gio Rubio said. “As long as they don’t force me to do or say anything, then I’m okay.” 

The debate extends beyond letter choices in words, however. Latinx is a word developed by people who do not truly understand what it means to be from Latin America or to be of Latin American descent. The original terms Latino and Latina were not meant to make anyone feel excluded. However, as society expands our ideas of gender, our language needs to expand as well. In that expansion, we should use culturally appropriate terms such as Latine, however.

In December 2021, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the oldest Hispanic and Latino civil rights organization in the U.S., along with Congressman Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., announced they would no longer use the term “Latinx,” and will continue using Latino and Latina instead.

According to the Pew Research Center, those who are critical of Latinx say it anglicized the Spanish language, ignored the language’s roots, and is not representative of the larger Latino community. Further, Pew results revealed that 65 percent of the Latino population polled said that the term Latinx should not be used.

“I feel like it is being forced onto people because when someone disagrees, some people claim that we are being ‘homophobic,’ when in reality, they are trying to change the rules of Spanish to validate their own personal feelings,” junior Samantha Mondragon said.

It is not homophobic to use Latino or Latina. Both words are gendered because the Spanish language itself has gendered words, the words are gendered because that’s how the language was made, and trying to change an entire language is the issue. 

LULAC’s decision to stick with the original Latino and Latina terms fits with the older generation, many of whom have not even heard of the term Latinx. As recently as 2020, Pew found that 76 percent of the Latino population had not heard of the term.

“My family uses the original Latino and Latina,” Mondragon said. “Some of them know the gender-neutral terms, but choose not to use them.” 

Ultimately, the choice of terminology is a personal one. However, the debate illustrates the importance of selecting terms that resonate as correct and proper as well as respectful of the community they describe. If you truly want to honor Hispanic culture, Latino, Latina, and Latine would be proper to use, Latinx on the other hand would definitely not.