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'Latinos' is out, 'Latinx' is in at UC San Diego in nod to evolving gender and sexuality terms

Geisel Library on the campus of UC San Diego. (Los Angeles Times)

UC San Diego has begun using new words to refer to Latinos and Chicanos in a move that reflects the profound change that's occurring nationally in the way many people define their gender and sexuality.

The gender-specific terms Latino and Chicano are being selectively replaced with Latinx and Chicanx to promote acceptance of virtually anyone who falls under the headings. The change is being promoted by students, social justice activists and the LGBTQ community, which are trying to get people to look beyond conventional notions of gender, sex and appearance. As broadly used, Latino refers to people of Latin American origin or descent.

Latinx includes men and women of Latin American descent, people who are not exclusively male or female, people who don't think of themselves as a man or a woman, and people who don't act or dress in ways that are common to people of their gender. The same basic definition applies to Chicanx, with the exception of heritage. Chicanos are Americans of Mexican descent.

“This is about making the university more inclusive,” said Becky Pettit, UC San Diego's vice chancellor of equity, diversity and inclusion. “We're meeting students where they are.”

The university also is trying to more broadly appeal to Latinos, an area where it has lagged behind some University of California campuses. The new word changes, made this week, mean that the school will use Latinx and Chicanx in a lot of its official communications, such as news releases and publicity. The words also might end up being used in the naming of certain campus events.

Schools like Grossmont and MiraCosta colleges already use those terms in their publicity. So does UC Irvine. The University of San Diego holds a Chicanx/Latinx graduation.

But deeper change is being sought. And it involves two words — Latinx and Chicanx — that are not widely used by the general public, partly because there's confusion about what the words mean and how they are pronounced.

People are especially perplexed by Latinx, which was reflected in a reader survey published this year by Remezcla, a media company.

The survey found that readers were almost evenly divided between pronouncing Latinx as latin-x and la-teen-x. A small percentage preferred lah-tinks. Still others have suggested referring to Latinos as Latin@, a gender-neutral term that hasn't caught on.

Colleges and universities are often among the first places for new language to appear. That's precisely what's been happening over the last couple of years.

At UC San Diego, it is no longer uncommon for a person to announce their “personal pronouns” when they introduce themselves at a meeting.

For example, a person might say, “My pronouns are he/him/his” or “she/her/hers.” Or the person could ask to simply be referred to as “they” because their gender identity doesn't neatly match that of a man or a woman.

The issue of gender identity also has surfaced in the way students apply for undergraduate admission to the University of California system.

Students can now choose from heterosexual/straight, bisexual, gay and lesbian to describe their sexuality.

Under gender, they can select gender nonconforming, genderqueer, transgender, trans man, trans male, trans woman or trans female.

Making a selection — which is voluntary — can be confusing. Some of the terms aren't well known to the general public, and some have multiple meanings.

The UC says that genderqueer refers to “a person whose gender identity and/or gender expression falls outside of the dominant social norm of the assigned sex, is beyond genders, or is some combination.”

The new California Gender Recognition Act is likely to make all of these terms more familiar to a wider audience. The act, which begins to take effect Jan. 1, will make it easier for people who are transgender, nonbinary or intersex to obtain state-issued IDs that specify their gender.

“Terms and practices change over time,” said Dayo F. Gore, an ethnic studies professor at UC San Diego. “It doesn't mean it is a zero-sum game. The important thing is how do we think about the changes. It gives us a chance to be open and speak.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune asked Pettit whether some people will view words such as Latinx as an act of political correctness, leading to blowback against the campus.

“I think the nature of higher education as institutions is to create spaces for resistance and for people to redefine themselves and for people to redefine the world that they want to live in,” Pettit said.

“I don't mean to sound flippant, but that's what universities exist for: to allow people to think freely, to allow people to redefine and shift culture.”

Robbins writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Source: Published originally on latimes.com, 'Latinos' is out, 'Latinx' is in at UC San Diego in nod to evolving gender and sexuality terms, by Gary Robbins, December 2nd, 2018.

Posted on Monday, December 10, 2018 at 7:34 AM
  • Author: Latimes.com by Gary Robbins

Why People Are Using The Term ‘Latinx’

The word “Latinx” (pronounced “La-teen-ex”) has been used more and more lately. And, yet, while many people are using the term and identifying as Latinx, there are still others who may look at the word with skepticism and confusion.

In recent months, HuffPost Latino Voices has incorporated usage of Latinx into some of our articles to reflect this change, to which some readers have responded by saying: 

“You misspelled ‘Latino.'”

“Latinx isn't a word.”

“I keep seeing Latinx... what does it mean?”

No, it's not a typo. Yes, Latinx is, in fact, a word ? one many people identify with for various reasons. And if you've been online in the last couple of years, you've likely noticed the word popping up in your social media news feeds and in various articles in lieu of such identifiers as Latino, Latina or Latin@. There's a reason for that ? allow us to explain. 

What does Latinx mean?

Latinx is the gender-neutral alternative to Latino, Latina and even Latin@. Used by scholars, activists and an increasing number of journalists, Latinx is quickly gaining popularity among the general public. It's part of a “linguistic revolution” that aims to move beyond gender binaries and is inclusive of the intersecting identities of Latin American descendants. In addition to men and women from all racial backgrounds, Latinx also makes room for people who are trans, queer, agender, non-binary, gender non-conforming or gender fluid.

“In Spanish, the masculinized version of words is considered gender neutral. But that obviously doesn't work for some of us because I don't think it's appropriate to assign masculinity as gender neutral when it isn't,” explains queer, non-binary femme writer Jack Qu'emi Gutiérrez in an interview with PRI. “The ‘x,' in a lot of ways, is a way of rejecting the gendering of words to begin with, especially since Spanish is such a gendered language.”

Latinx is also, as pointed out by writer Gabe Gonzalez, a way to reclaim identity, a form of rebellion against “the language and legacy of European traditions that were imposed on the Americas.”

Here's why people are using the term “Latinx:” 

Languages change in order to accommodate the times in which it's used, and in a year where discussions about trans and non-binary identity are at the forefront, it makes sense for “Latino” to evolve.

Though it is understood that many people may not identify as Latinx for various reasons, we feel it is important that we respect others who do and who want to be referred to as such. For what it's worth, using Latinx in general is a way to be more inclusive of identities that go beyond the every day gender and racial norms that are rapidly shifting and being redefined in today's culture. It's not a perfect term, but for many people out there, it's the beginning of a linguistic revolution. “[Latinx] is just one word,” explains Gutiérrez. “We adapt to survive in this kind of environment, you know, we also adapt our language. It's vital to just expressing who we are and being able to explain to others in our own community, ‘Hey, we're here. This is how you can be respectful of us. Acknowledge us.'”

Where did the term originate?

Latinx first began to emerge within queer communities on the internet in 2004, and saw a rise in popularity in late 2014, according to Complex. By 2015, Google searches for the term began to increase (see the graph below) and Latinx became a widely-used identifier both on social media platforms like Tumblr and in scholarly work. Many scholars and activists praise the term's ability to better include many groups of people while challenging cultural and norms.

Despite the growing popularity of the term, Latinx has been faced with criticism. Many opponents of the term have suggested that using an un-gendered noun like Latinx is disrespectful to the Spanish language and some have even called the term “a blatant form of linguistic imperialism.” However, in defense of the term, Brooklyn College professors María R. Scharrón-del Río and Alan A. Aja argue that the Spanish language itself is a form of linguistic imperialism for Latin Americans.

“Are we not aware that upon the arrival of the conquistadores and subsequent acts of genocide, a few thousand indigenous languages existed in the Americas, and a few resilient hundred continue to be spoken today?” they explain in a piece on LatinoRebels.com. “Not to mention the attempted erasure of African languages via the violence of slavery and colonialism.”

They go on to point out that many of the indigenous languages throughout Latin America and the world range from genderless to multi-gendered.

However, writer Monse Arce argues that Latinx is just as problematic as Latino and Latina. “They're blanket terms that were invented to group us all under one common colonized identity,” she writes in Affinity Magazine

Then, there are individuals who say they have chosen not to adopt the term because “Latinx doesn't roll off the tongue when you're speaking Spanish.”

As Complex points out, “‘Latinx' is not the perfect identifying term, so it shouldn't be treated as the answer in the ongoing quest to develop a cohesive postcolonial identity.” But its usage has been gaining traction, and people are taking notice. 

It's with this in mind that Latino Voices is incorporating the term Latinx into our coverage. We believe every individual's identity is complicated and nuanced ? and deserves to be acknowledged and respected. 

Source: Published originally on /www.huffingtonpost.com, Why People Are Using The Term ‘Latinx', by Tanisha Love Ramirez and Zeba Blay, October 17th, 2017.

Posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at 9:49 AM
  • Author: Huffingtonpost by Tanisha Love Ramirez and Zeba

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