I am Latinx: Trans, Political and Culturally Transformative
Nico Quintana is a Chicanx activist, organizer and writer.
Latinx has gained momentum as an identity term in the past decade as agender-neutral alternative to Latino/a /@, Hispanic or people of Latin American decent. The term replaces the o/a pronoun endings in Spanish with an X.[1]The predominate reasons people are using Latinx when asked is 1) to be an ally with transgender, non-binary and queer people and 2) to have a more modern political pan-ethinic term that can be used for all people of Latin American descent.
As a trans, Latinx person, the X in Latinx uniquely fits my lived experience of struggle, discrimination, family rejection and resilience. Latinx communities I have been apart of have fought against intersecting oppressions of racism, sexism, transphobia and homophobia, and the X symbolizes hard fought legal and cultural battles for inclusion, equity and justice. And, while the term Latinx has emerged as a general community term for all people to use, I argue that the term holds special legal and cultural significance to trans, non-binary and queer people and should be honored as a LGBTQ identity term. Though allyship is gravely needed, I believe calling yourself Latinx to show allyship to LGBTQ people is not good enough of a show of solidarity, and much more is needed. This term should be honored as an trans and queer community term, and not coopted as a show of artificial solidarity and inclusivity.
In short, I think it is powerful to have a “linguistic revolution”[2]that creates terms that are inclusive of intersecting identities and marginalized communities, however I don’t think that this automatically means that people without intersecting identities or not part of marginalized communities should claim these terms. The question I continued to think about is can non-trans, binary and non-queer Latina/o people truly show solidarity to LGBTQ people. And if so, is using the term Latinx the solution. I personally don’t think it is.
The Emergence and Controversy of Latinx
The term Latinx was said to be first used by students, scholars, activists sand journalists, and it has now become popular in many communities and spaces.[3]Supporters of the term Latinx say that it is both inclusive of transgender and non-binary people and can be used as a pan-ethnic identity. The goal was to “move beyond gender binaries and is inclusive of the intersecting identities”[4]with people of Latin American descendant.Mark Hugo Lopez, directs Hispanic research at the Pew Research Center,told NBC news that Latinx is a “a very unique American take on identity”and that Latinx “is pan-ethnic like Hispanic, and political in a sense like Chicano.”[5] While the term has gained momentum, so has the controversy about the term. Articles about the term have sprung up in the news media from LA times to the Huffington post and are commenting on proponents and opponents of Latinx. Proponents site the progressive, feminist, LGBTQ affirming and non-binary approach to a community term, while opponents tend to say the term just doesn’t fit the Spanish language and isn’t quite right. Avid opponents go as far as calling the term disrespectful to the Spanish language, a linguistic abomination and offensive to the Latino/a culture.[6] While I strongly support the term Latinx, I would like progressive people to go further to think about who should be claiming this term and how to lift and affirm up marginalized voices and communities.
Latinx and the Power of Community Identity and Terms
When I first heard the term Latinx in 2014, I was upset because I thought someone was using a pronoun for me in Spanish without asking me what pronouns I go by. Later, I learned that the term was being used by cis-gender, trans and non-binary people and was not just a term for me as a trans, gender non-conforming person. This didn’t sit well with me because, the x in Latinx was a fight and a struggle that I deeply connect with as a transgender Latinx person. I believe that using a non-binary term doesn’t mean that you are an ally to transgender people and non-binary people.
There is power in identity terms. People identifying with specific community and ancestry terms can bring power and history to people who have been marginalized, oppressed and subjugated. While I see the benefits of everyone using Latinx, I also see how it could erase identity, forget history and belittle allyship. For example, grouping all people of Latin American decent can erase the specific community struggles that make a community who they are, like the unique struggles and history of Mexican Americans inherent in the word Chicana. Additionally, automatically using gender natural terms might make people think they are being inclusive of transgender and non-binary people, when in fact it takes much more than terms to break prejudice, oppression and systemic discrimination.
Moreover, it is important to know that while some transgender and on-binary people want to be referred to by gender-natural pronouns, many do not. Automatically adopting Latinx may insinuate to people that if you are trans or non-binary identified, then you must want to be referred to by a gender natural pronoun. This is neither trans competent, trans friendly or progressive, and it is putting terms on people before asking their pronoun. A better ally would be asking how people want to be referred to and use terms that people want to use. Using Latinx because you think it will make the world more trans friendly is a mirage. What would make the world more trans friendly is addressing the systemic, social, cultural and institutional barriers to living lives free from violence, discrimination and oppression. And what actually would be more trans friendly language would be using words, and terms that trans and non-binary people want to be referred by, which may or may not be Latinx.
The X in Latinx Stands for the Fight for Equity, Inclusion and Justice.
The term Latinx describes my experience fighting for acceptance and inclusion in broader Latino/a communities and in my family. It has also been shaped by social oppression, cultural exile, forced chosen family, and self-created identity. Just like the language discussion of the term Latinx, my life has been filled with controversy and I have heard words such as abomination, offensive to culture, and disrespectful due to being trans, queer and Latinx. In her book Border Lands, Gloria Anzaldúa discusses the complexities and cultural challenges of being LGBTQ and Chicana. Anzaldúa wrote “for the lesbian of color, the ultimate rebellion she can make against her native culture is through her sexual behavior. She goes against two moral prohibitions; sexuality and homosexuality.”[7]Like Anzaldúa’s discussion of rebellion, the X in Latinx symbolizes resistance and resilience for trans and non-binary people overcoming cultural rejection, social discrimination and institutional oppression.
For me, the term Latinx as a political and community identity speaks to my life as a trans person fighting for my basic civil rights and access to justice. Coming out as queer and non-conforming at 13 and trans at 19, I faced homelessness at a young age as well as discrimination, harassment and family rejection. At the same time as I was struggling to survive and thrive, I also had to battle for legal protections and civil rights. I had to fight to change my name and gender marker, and access competent healthcare services. I constantly faced discrimination at work and in my daily life. Along the way, I discovered that many other trans people were experiencing the same things I was and this led me to get involved in political activism fighting for trans community policy issues. As a transgender, Latinx activist and policy organizer, my life was defined by legal and political fights to demand equity and legal rights for myself and my communities. The work I was involved with and continue to support helps reduce violence, structural oppression and institutional discrimination against trans people.
Despite progress in the past ten years, Latinx people continue to face high rates of discrimination, family rejection, poverty, homelessness, health disparities and violence.[8] According to the National Center for Transgender Equalities 2015 US Trans Survey report on the experience of Latin/a respondents in partnership with the Trans Latin@ Coalition, nearly one-half 49%, experienced at least one form of family rejection after coming out as trans and 48% reported experiencing violence and harassment in public.[9] Additionally, the unemployment rates for Latino/a respondents of the survey was 21%, the poverty rate was 43% and more than 30% had experienced homelessness. [10]While we have come a long way to reduce discrimination and inequity for trans communities, we have a heck of a long way to go, especially to ensure that issues of trans misogyny, structural racism and intersectionality are prioritized and centered. This will take more than adding an X to a widely used identity term. It will take allyship, coalition building and supporting trans and non-binary leadership and movement building.
The X in Latinx Represents the Vision for Legal Equity and Lived Equality
I argue that Latinx legal theory is needed to help frame what is happening to Latinx communities in the US and the work that can be done to center the experience of Latinx people in liberation and anti-oppression work. Like the term Latinx, trans justice work and leadership is being led more and more by non-trans people. Major political, legislative, litigation and policy issues of our era are more and more being taken on and decision by non trans organizational and leaders, without the input, leadership and feedback of trans community or our community leaders. While I am thrilled that more people know about trans, non-binary and non-conforming communities, discovery and open-mindedness is not permission to lead our movements, co-opt our terms, or decide our legal or policy strategy. As our trans-led groups fight to address issues of violence, discrimination, and civil rights of trans people, it is essential that non-tarns communities support our movements, our communities and out identities. While our trans policy leaders are hard at work focusing on issues from decriminalizing sex work to prisoner rights to identity making available documents with an X on them, we need allys to give money, support and time to these efforts.
In conclusion,Latinx symbolizes the emergence of identity, critical legal thought, cultural shifts because trans and queer movements have fought for this to happen and its time for non-trans people to support, fight for and embrace our communities.This term is powerful, important and culturally significant to me as a trans Latinx person, and if you use this term I hope you recognized and honors its power and history and legacy.
[1]See, Tanisha Love Ramirez, Why People are Using the Term Latinx, (2016) https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-people-are-using-the-term-Latinx_us_57753328e4b0cc0fa136a159.
[2]Id.
[3]Id.
[4]Id.
[5]To be or not to be Latinx, Merrissa Armas, NBC News (2017)https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/be-latinx-or-not-be-latinx-some-hispanics-question-n817911
[6]See Daniel Hernandez, The Case Agasint ‘Latinx’, LA Times (2017). http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-hernandez-the-case-against-latinx-20171217-story.html
[7]Gloria Anzaldúa, Borderlands/ La Frontera: The New Mestiza P. 19 (1987).
[8]See 2015 US Trans Survey: Reports on the Experiences of Latino/a Respondents.http://www.transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTSLatinReport-Nov17.pdf
[9]Id.
[10] Id.
