Earlier this year, KPBS began using the term Latinx - a nonbinary way of saying Latino - in an effort to be more inclusive. While some applauded the choice, many listeners also asserted that Latinx was not how they identified themselves.
The mixed reaction from KPBS listeners to the usage of the word "Latinx" mirrors a larger discussion that members of the Latin-American community are having across the nation. How people identify and are identified are deeply personal experiences that are intertwined with issues of power, race, and the politics of belonging.
RELATED: Hispanic, Latino, Latinx — A Question Of Belonging
KPBS's Racial Justice and Social Equity Reporter Cristina Kim moderated a KPBS panel Wednesday on the usage of Latinx within the various communities that it falls under.
Her guests were:
- Nancy Maldonado - CEO of the Chicano Federation
- Fernando Lopez - Executive Director of San Diego LGBT Pride
- Ariana Ruiz - Professor of Chicanx Studies at UCSD
The panelists answered questions from the community, including questions about how identity words evolve, why certain terms speak to certain experiences, and what inclusivity really means when different ideologies and stakeholders are involved. Listen to the conversation here:
Further Reading on Latino/Latina/Latinx:
- Sarah Hayley Barett and Oscar Nñ, “Latinx: The Ungendering of the Spanish Language.”
- Alan Pelaez Lopez, “The X in Latinx Is a Wound, Not a Trend.”
- Ed Morales, "Latinx: The New Force in American Politics and Culture"
- Richard T. Rodriguez, “X Marks the Spot”
