Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021
Is the term ‘Latinx’ popular among Latinos?
Despite the push by some in the LGBTQ+ community to replace the gendered terms "Latino" and "Latina" with the gender-neutral term "Latinx," the term remains relatively unpopular among Hispanic and Latino populations.
According to a 2019 poll from Pew Research Center, only 23% of U.S. adults self-identifying as Hispanic or Latino have heard of the term "Latinx" and only 3% use it to describe themselves. A Gallup poll had similar findings: only 4% of Hispanic adults surveyed claimed to prefer the use of the term "Latinx."
Those opposed to the term argue it is difficult to pronounce or even "linguistic imperialism on the Spanish language."
To deal with such complaints, the term "Latine" has been proposed as a substitute.
The term's origins are unclear, but Mexican American linguist David Bowles told History: "White people did not make up Latinx. It was queer Latinx people."
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Pew Research Latinx Used by Just 3% of U.S. Hispanics. About One-in-Four Have Heard of It.
- Gallup No Preferred Racial Term Among Most Black, Hispanic Adults
- Washington Post ‘Latinx’ hasn’t even caught on among Latinos. It never will.
- History Latino, Hispanic, Latinx, Chicano: The History Behind the Terms
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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