Latinx

This article is about the English-language term. For gender-neutral terms in Spanish, see Gender neutrality in Spanish.
For similar terms, see Latin (disambiguation), Latina (disambiguation), and Latino (disambiguation)

Latinx is a neologism in American English which is used to refer to people of Latin American cultural or ethnic identity in the United States. The gender-neutral ⟨-x⟩ suffix replaces the ⟨-o/-a⟩ ending of Latino and Latina that are typical of grammatical gender in Spanish. Its plural is Latinxs or Latinxes. Words used for similar purposes include Latin@, Latine, and the simple Latin. Related gender-neutral neologisms include Xicanx or Chicanx.

The term was first seen online around 2004.[1] It has since been used in social media by activists, students, and academics who seek to advocate for non-binary and genderqueer individuals. Reception of the term among Hispanic and Latino Americans has been generally negative, and surveys have found that the vast majority prefer other terms such as Hispanic and Latina/Latino to describe themselves with only 2–3% using Latinx.[2][3] A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that roughly half of U.S. Latinos were not aware of the term Latinx; of those aware of it, 75% said it should not be used, including 36% who found increased usage to be a bad thing.[4][5]

Critics say the term does not follow traditional grammar, is difficult to pronounce, and is disrespectful toward conventional Spanish;[6] the Royal Spanish Academy style guide does not recognize the suffix -x.[7]

  1. ^ Yarin, Sophie (October 7, 2022). "If Hispanics Hate the Term 'Latinx', Why is it Still Used?". BU Today. Boston University. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference McGirt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pew Research was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Awareness of 'Latinx' increases among US Latinos, and 'Latine' emerges as an alternative". AP News. September 29, 2024. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  5. ^ Lopez, Luis Noe-Bustamante, Gracie Martinez and Mark Hugo (September 12, 2024). "Latinx Awareness Has Doubled Among U.S. Hispanics Since 2019, but Only 4% Use It". Pew Research Center. Retrieved October 2, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ramirez was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cataño, Adriana (November 28, 2018). "The RAE Has Made Its Decision About Latinx and Latine in Its First Style Manual". Remezcla.