Authentically, Yet Situationally ‘Latinx’ and ‘Latine’: How Gender-Expansive People of Latin American Descent Navigate Panethnic Labels

The present study draws from interviews with 54 U.S.-born gender-expansive people of Latin American descent to examine how they understand, identify with, and use ‘Latinx’ and ‘Latine’ relative to ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino/a’. We find many not only identified with ‘Latinx’ and ‘Latine’ among labels like ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino/a’, they also described ‘Latinx’ and ‘Latine’ to feel the most authentic. Participants also reported the political and policy climate in the U.S. around gender-expansive individuals contributed to deepened investment in ‘Latinx’ and ‘Latine’ identity. Moreover, rather than seeing ‘Latinx’ and ‘Latine’ as fully interchangeable with ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino/a’, participants explained the ability of the former to communicate unique social information about their users. This information ranged from political stances and cultural values to queer identity. Last, we report a discrepancy found between the labels many identified most with (‘Latinx’ and ‘Latine’) and the labels participants cited using most often across social interactions (‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino/a’). We analyze this discrepancy as strategic decisions mediated by various contextual concerns across family, friends, work, and online settings. These concerns included discrimination, stigmatization, and preservation from emotional and mental labor.