Title: What does ‘Latinx’ mean? | Complex
Headings: What does ‘Latinx’ mean? A look at the term that’s challenging gender norms
What does ‘Latinx’ mean? A look at the term that’s challenging gender norms
Ungendering the Spanish language
this gendered language reinforces patriarchal and heterosexist norms.
The rise of Latinx
Resistance in progress
Life after Latinx
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Content: “Once the term ‘Latinx’ was made more visible, it certainly aligned with what I had been learning about gender non-conformity,” Filiberto Nolasco Gomez, founder of Latin American culture blog El Huateque, told NTRSCTN. “ It seemed like the right direction for my website to embrace ‘Latinx’ as a political statement and a dismantling of binaries.” By dismantling some of the gendering within Spanish, Latinx helped modernize the idea of a pan-Latin American experience—or Latinidad—one that reflects what it means to be of Latin American descent in today’s world. The term also better reflects Latin America's diversity, which is more in line with intersectionality, the study of the ways that different forms of oppression (e.g. sexism, racism, classism, and heterosexism) intersect. “The use of the 'x' is really important to me,” Chicanx performance artist Artemisa Clark told NTRSCTN. “ The 'x' shows a development of broader Latinx movements, one more actively concerned with issues of gender and queerness.” Resistance in progress
In their takedown of an article that says "Latinx" denotes “a lack of respect for the sovereignty of Spanish,” professors María R. Scharrón-del Río and Alan A. Aja defend the term, arguing that it should replace "Latino" when referring to people of Latin American descent. They say moving towards non-gendered language is a way to escape the ghost of colonialism that still haunts Latin American culture. " Latinx" actually represents the people the term is supposed to represent, so it's "a concerted attempt at inclusivity" that "fosters solidarity with all of our Latinx community," Scharrón-del Río and Aja write. moving towards non-gendered language is a way to escape the ghost of colonialism that still haunts Latin American culture.