Democrats Replacing 'Gender-Neutral' Term 'Latinx' With 'Latine'

A debate over the use of "Latinx" in state documents appears to have reached a settlement in Connecticut, with lawmakers agreeing to use alternative terminology that has gained wider acceptance among Spanish speakers.

On Monday, Gov. Ned Lamont signed a bill clarifying that "Latino," "Latina" and the gender-neutral "Latine," are the preferred terms to refer to people of Latin American descent in official government forms and communications.

The legislation would not ban the term "Latinx," by state officials, a more aggressive step that has recently gained traction among both conservatives and some Hispanic Democrats -- who argue that the word was concocted by non-Spanish speakers in order to appeal to people who do not identify with either gender.

"If 98 percent of Latinos or Latinas prefer to be called that, we should be worried about offending the majority, not only the minority," said state Rep. Geraldo Reyes, D-Waterbury, who was one of the principal sponsors of the legislation.

[...] While most Hispanics reported being unfamiliar with the term "Latinx" in a 2019 survey by Pew Research, a majority of those who said they had heard it used said they still preferred other general terms such as Hispanic or Latino to describe their community. The survey found that just 3 percent of Hispanics used the phrase to describe themselves.

During the debate in the House last month, state Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford, presented the bill and said that the language of the statute would not prohibit any official or state agency from using additional terminology, as long as their documents included the terms "Latino", "Latina" and "Latine."