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
OUR COMMUNITY

Content: Still, even with the gender inclusivity of a term like “Latinx ,” there are still issues that arise when grouping a very diverse population—like that of Latin America—under one umbrella term. “I think there has been a lot of communication and travel between communities and countries within the Americas for centuries, and Latinx kind of gives that some coherence,” Ken Eby-Gomez, a San Francisco-based activist and graduate student,​ told NTRSCTN. “ But ... it would be a mistake to essentialize any meaning or characteristics of Latinx." In other words, creating a single Latin American identity can be problematic because it may lead to the erasure of marginalized identities (e.g. indigenous people), while highlighting lighter-skinned mestizos (i.e. people of mixed Spanish and indigenous ancestry). Life after Latinx
In a piece published late last year, writer Monse Arce argues that the identifier “Latino" erases indigenous history and culture from Latin America. Indeed, using a term like “Latino/@/x” emphasizes the privileges of mestizos, reinforcing colorism amongst Latin American people. “ Latino/@/x” also implies a uniformity of experience, when in reality, people of Latin American descent have wildly different lives and narratives, she adds. “The root of [ Latinx] bothers me in that it’s colonial, and my heart rages against [it],” Eusebio Ricardo Lopez-Aguilar, a Salvadoran activist and census worker based in Winnipeg, Canada, told NTRSCTN. “ I haven’t used it to describe myself, but I also haven’t found a word that works.” Many young people of Latin American descent are exploring their complex indigenous roots, and forging new, more personal identities.