Everything You Need to Know About Latine Identities

This special edition of our Badassery blog is a re-post brought to us by one of our very own members Daniela Herrera, an award-winning, bilingual, Diversity and Inclusion professional with 17+ years of global experience in Talent Operations, Recruitment, Leadership, and People Management. Dani has been named one of Mogul's Top 100 DEI Leaders in 2021 & 2022 and was also recognized as one of Negocios Now NYC Latinos 40 under 40 Class of 2022. She is committed to helping individuals, companies, Leaders, and Talent Teams become Intentionally Inclusive.

I was born and raised in Argentina. Ever since I arrived in the US, I have had trouble finding a definition that “fits me.” Am I Hispanic? Latina? Latinx? Latine? I had no idea!

Because, at the end of the day, I was already from Latin America, and we don’t necessarily address ourselves as “Latino” — that’s who we are already? And, to be honest, back home, the conversation around race and ethnicity is at a completely different stage. So these conversations… don’t really happen that often? Or at all?!?!

And to top it all off, Latin America is not a monolith. Every country — and sometimes every province, state, or region — has its own rules. Its own ideas of identity and expression. There are so many nationalities, languages, and ethnicities in the Latin American community that finding one word to describe us all, in all our complexity and diversity, seems… well, not easy!

When I first arrived in New York, as a 30-year-old bureaucracy-baby, I found myself not fully understanding how to answer the question, “what’s your race/ethnicity?”. It was literally the first time someone, anyone actually, asked me that question in my life. I WAS CONFUSED.

Now that a few years have passed and I’ve grown, both professionally as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Professional and as a Human Being, I’d love to share what I have learned since then; maybe my journey will help clear a thing or two for you as well:

Hispanic

Hispanic was a term coined & adopted by the US Government in an attempt to identify different groups of people, regardless of race and ethnicity. YEAH — NOT GREAT.

Basically, the US Government just grouped together every Latin American and Spanish culture under the same term because it was convenient for the census process. Tada!

This term has very negative and racist connotations. It only refers to Spanish-speaking people, which excludes Brazil, Haiti, and any Indigenous peoples and communities. And, as a quick reminder: this term is only used in the United States. So yeah, that’s a no for me.

Latino & Latina

These two words work around all the negative connotations associated with “Hispanic” by including people from all Latin countries. But, as the Spanish language is gendered, Latino and Latina are also un-inclusive by design. Non-binary, gender-fluid, and trans people were just left out of the conversation.

Latinx

Latinx is a more favorable and inclusive term. By replacing the gendered “a” or “o” with a gender-neutral “x” we are intentionally including non-binary identities.

Now, it is super important to remember that “Latinx” is also a very unique American word and their idea of identity.

For starters, the word is impossible to pronounce in Spanish. Secondly, many people of Latin American descent in the United States — especially the older generations, the very Catholic communities, and many communities rooted in machismo — despise this word with a passion. They will fight you to their metaphorical death, trying to explain how Latinx is not a real word.

Others in our community claim that, as the word “doesn’t exist in Spanish,” this term derives from colonialism and colonialism’s language.

But this is about the Latin Community in the United States, so it fits. It helps reclaim part of its heritage and culture.

Enter a new fantastic word: Latine

Before we dive in, let’s pause and remember that, in the Spanish language, all words have a gender marker. For example, “table” has a feminine gender marker, while “sofa” has a masculine gender marker.

With that in mind, it’s important to know that whenever we’re talking about a group of things or people, the presence of only one male/masculine thing or person, will immediately transform the rest of the gender markers in the sentence into masculine. Yes, even if the majority of the things or people present were women/female. If you’re wondering how this makes sense, let me tell you it doesn’t. I don’t make the rules!

Now, grammar session out of the way, let’s get back to where we were:

Following the intentions of its American Counterpart (Latinx), Latine is a gender-neutral word coined in Latin America as a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina.

Back in the early internet days (yes, I’m that old!), when we wanted to be inclusive of everyone in the chat room, we would use an “@“ to avoid using the masculine-gendered “o” in all words. It was a great idea, but also impossible to say out loud.

Eventually, the “@“ became “x” to later evolve to “e” — which honestly is fantastic. It’s easy to pronounce, and it also already exists in Spanish!

The gender-neutral “e” is being used — in many Latin American Countries— for all words. We are changing the way we speak, write, and communicate. So, for example, “amigos” (friends — plural, using the masculine gender marker) becomes “amigues” (friends — plural, using the gender-neutral marker).

Language is still evolving, and the gender-neutral “e” is not yet widely used or accepted by older generations, the very Catholic communities, anyone against LGBTQIA+ rights, or the feminist movement.

But hey, progress over perfection, friends.

I’m sure you’re now wondering what’s next. So, let’s cover a few very quick questions.

What does this mean for the Latin community in the United States?

Well, lots of people started to use “Latine” instead of “Latinx” — isn’t that great? That doesn’t mean that Latino, Latina, Latinx, or Hispanic aren’t used anymore. But it’s amazing to see how the language evolves and how people find better words to identify themselves with.

Should I stop using “Latinx,” then?

No, please don’t. Pay attention to how people refer to themselves and follow their lead. Everyone — and I really mean everyone — will have a different opinion and a different way they see and identify themselves.

What if I’m not sure?

Ask. Respectfully.

What should marketers use?

I’d strongly recommend doing research first and understanding their true demographic. Is the ad meant for older generations in the USA? They’d probably prefer hearing “Latino” or “Latina” — and, in some cases, even “Hispanic.”

Is the ad for younger generations? Try Latinx and Latine instead.
Is the ad for a younger but very religious audience? Go with Latino or Latina.

What do you usually use?

I shift between Latina and Latine — Depending on the context, the room, and the audience. I identify as Latina, because I’m a cis woman. But when speaking in the plural or addressing a group of people, I use Latine.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. How do you identify yourselves?

To learn more about Dani Herrera and the work she’s doing as a speaker and consultant in Diversity and Inclusion, check out her Badassery profile.