Recently we have seen the term Latinx emerge in our collective lexicon. For those unfamiliar with the term, it is a gender-neutral term for Latinos and Latinas. In Spanish, the word Latino is used for men of Latin origin, and Latina is used for women of Latin origin; however, when referring to all people of Latin origin, the term Latino is what is considered proper. For years, people have debated whether this bias towards male terminology is still appropriate in this modern age of gender equality. For people who do not identify with any particular gender, this has become an even bigger issue. As the world becomes more understanding about gender, terms like Latinx have started to appear more frequently. There are some people who think terms like Latinx are more of a fad and will eventually disappear. I’m not so sure. While I realize political correctness can definitely go too far, our society still tends to evolve toward fairness and equality. For now, I think people will use both Latino and Latinx interchangeably — which is fine — but in the long run, my money is that Latinx is here to stay.
We hear frequently how Latinos are not a monolithic community. In other words, we are not all the same. We come from different countries, have a variety of political views, and even eat different foods. I get all of that, but I also think focusing constantly on our differences versus our similarities undermines our political and economic power as a community...
This might be my most provocative blog in a while. Let me first state that I am happily married to a beautiful gringa. My kids are half- White and some of my best friends throughout my life have been White, so don’t let the title of this blog throw you.
A few weeks ago, Twitter was blowing up when John Leguizamo spoke out against the recent casting of James Franco as Fidel Castro in the independent film ‘Alina of Cuba’. Leguizamo took plenty of heat for his stance and was ridiculed by some including Bill Maher.