Thread by @DrLondonoTobon

Why Latinx? A 🧵 and discussion 🗣

Recently people have wondered and criticized my use of the term Latinx.
It is true that many Hispanics/Latinos/as do not use the term Latinx. For many, and also for me at some point, the term sounded foreign.
/1

As an immigrant in the US, my experience has been one where my identity has been shaped, in part, by the labels I’ve been given by others in different contexts. In Colombia, I grew up being Paisa/Mestiza/Colombiana. /2

I didn’t know I was a Hispanic/Latina/BIPoC/PersonOfColor/Minority/URM/immigrant until I moved around different parts of the US. Time and context change, and with it we see language and labels change.
/3

I understand that many individuals do not like these labels and being labeled. I also don’t appreciate being labeled by others. Labels reduce us and take away the complexity of humanity, but they also can be helpful in other ways (e.g. shared identity, allocating resources)
/4

I personally appreciate the term Latinx because it aims to provide a more inclusive term for Latinos/as/Hispanics that removes the gender binary and gives a gender neutral alternative term for individuals who come from Latin America or are or Latin American origin.
/5

Latinx is not a perfect term but I appreciate having and using a term that is more inclusive of all gender identities

Would love to hear people’s thoughts