In Mexico, to indicate non-binary, people often use an “e” at the end of the word or for the last vowel, for example, compañere for “non-binary co-worker or classmate.” Spanish (along with French, Italian, Hebrew, Arabic and many other languages) uses binary pronouns, which means that words for gender identities outside of “he” and “she” and “male” and “female” don’t yet officially exist. For example, in traditional Spanish, “cute boy” would be “chico bonito,” and “cute girl” would be “chica bonita.” In Spanish, most gendered nouns are finished with an "-o” for male and an "-a” for female.
Many see “Latinx” as a token term invented by “woke” English speakers - and perhaps suspect it is another attempt to have a word to separate out those of Latin American descent. In the United States, the use of an “x” or an to create a gender-neutral Spanish noun - as with the word “Latinx” - has not only failed to catch on, it is considered annoying to some Spanish speakers. “‘Either I kill myself or they’ll kill me.’ These are still considered some of the only options for a large number of people in Mexico’s LGBTQ+ community,” said Regina Cornejo Manzo, a transgender woman and the first directora of the new Department of Diversity and Inclusion for the city of Tijuana.Ĭornejo is hoping to bring more education and awareness to the language city officials use with the public, as a first step in creating a more inclusive culture and society in Tijuana and Mexico. The first transgender woman to hold public office in Baja California is determined to help develop a more inclusive language in Tijuana - and with it, a city government aimed at more awareness and acceptance of the broad spectrum of gender identities.īut, are Tijuaneses - who live in a state where the federal government recently issued an alert about “ high levels of violence against women,” and a nation considered one of the worst in the world in terms of violence against those who are gay or transgender - ready for such a shift?