Latinx: an inclusive or useless label?

Are we imposing an identifier that the Hispanic community itself doesn’t use? How do individuals in the Saint Cloud Hispanic community identify?

On Sept. 15, students of HISP 358A set out to answer this question by surveying attendants at the St. Cloud Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. From these anonymous surveys, 72 of 120 respondents identified as Hispanic rather than their country of origin, “Latino/a,” “Latinx,” from the U.S, American or other. Very few individuals chose the term “Latinx.” So, what does the term “Latinx” mean? “Latinx” is an English gender-neutral term for a person of Latin American origin or descent, including non-Spanish speakers like Brazilians and Haitians, who speak other Latin languages, like Portuguese and French. By contrast, “Latino/a” is a gendered term to refer to people of Latin American origin or descent. Hispanic is a term used by people who can trace their origins to countries where Spanish is an official language.

So why does Latinx have the lowest response rate? The term “Latinx” may not be used due to its Anglo roots. Words in Spanish rarely end in the letter “X”, and it isn’t grammatically or phonetically feasible to use in the gendered Spanish language. While acknowledging gender fluidity, it is also important that the terms we use are applicable to the Spanish language. Terms such as “Latin@” (pronounced “Latine”) address this issue while also respecting the fluidity of gender and the diverse gender identities of people in the Hispanic community. Only two respondents identified with the term “Latinx;” both identified as females between the ages of 18-35. On the other hand, 67% of men identified more with the term Hispanic, while only 15% of men identified as “Latino.” Additionally, 52% of women identified with the term “Hispanic,” and around 30% identified as “Latina.” This indicates some differences in identity based on gender, but what about age? Based on our data, it seems that the term “Hispanic” is more popular with younger individuals, with 58% of individuals between the ages of 18-35 identifying as Hispanic, versus 24% as Latino/a. Individuals between the ages of 36-55 identified as Hispanic similarly, at 55%, but 33% identified as Latino/a. In the 56+ age group, only 35% identified as Hispanic, while 29% identified as Latino/a.

It is imperative to understand the roots, purposes and histories of the identifiers we use. While this should always be true, it is especially important to keep in mind when it comes to a term that the identified community does not necessarily embrace or outright rejects, like the term “Latinx.” There are a wide variety of identifiers used in the Hispanic community, so acknowledging each person’s choice in individual identification is crucial to creating an inclusive and welcoming community for all.