In the case of the Latine/x/o language-use debate, it is okay for Latin populations to gatekeep

Language use and inclusive language is a critical aspect of creating safe spaces. With languages like English, opting for inclusive language is easier than others considering terms like friends, partner and folks exist to step in for gendered language like ladies and gentlemen and guys. 

These substitutes become more difficult for languages that are historically gendered in all aspects, like Spanish. For example, there is no gender non-binary word for friends in Spanish; it’s either amigos or amigas. And, when referring to groups of many genders, the maculine word (amigos) prevails. 

Throughout the history of Spanish language, specifically in Latin America and the United States, there have been pushes to replace gendered language with things like the @ sign, an e and an x. The debate over which of these terms should be used was trending within the last week on Twitter. However, there were a few things missing during this discourse: 1) understanding the history of these alternatives and 2) actual Latin voices in the debate that are in the U.S.and also in Latin America. 

The debate on Twitter lacked a lot of the historical context of inclusive languages pushed within the Spanish speaking community, most of which have to do with the alternative @, x and e. The @ sign was one of the first replacements in the word Latino/a as a way to have both the a and o represented; the problem is that this replacement didn’t catch on in verbal speech. 

Latinx also has been around for a long time — since 2004 — yet it did not gain traction until recently. This language substitute is seen mostly in the U.S.and among the LGBTQ+ community. The e replacement has also been in use for a long time in small communities and has gained more traction once the term Latinx has come into scrutiny. 

A Pew Research study showcases that the term Latinx is not widely used in the Latin community or within the U.S. and even less outside of it. Some even go as far as to say that the term Latinx is elitist, since only a small percentage of people use and understand it, which leaves out the majority of the community it is meant for. The word Latine, in contrast, has been argued to be easier to pronounce and to use with other words like amige instead of amigo/a. 

To understand this word debate and how these terms come into play, it is important to understand how these terms and pushes for replacements have existed for a long time and are only now becoming a part of popular culture. It is also important to understand how these replacements are really only prevalent in the U.S., like the use of Latinx, and can be seen as elitist in Latin countries. 

What was notably missing in this recent debate was the crucial voices of people who belong to this community. Although some Latin community members did speak up and tweet about this debate, scrolling through Twitter revealed many non-Latin voices leading the discourse. 

The decision of which terms to use cannot be decided by the non-Latin community members whose native language is not Spanish. In cases like this, the often shamed-upon notion of gatekeeping is okay. Even if these non-Latin groups speak and understand Spanish and are within close proximity of this community, it is the native Spanish community that needs to be making these decisions about their own language and navigating these conversations. 
Gatekeeping is often seen as a negative thing, but when it comes to conversations that are specific to one group, it is not difficult to see why having said groups lead and make decisions is detrimental to ensuring that this inclusive language is universally understood. This ensures that the decisions about language used to be inclusive is not elitist as the term Latinx is seen in Latin America and within Spanish speaking communities.