>>> OKAY, HISPANIC, LATINO,
LATINX, THESE ARE ALL TERMS TO
DESCRIBE PEOPLE OF LATIN AMERICA
OR OF SPANISH DISSENT.
TENS OF MILLIONS OF AMERICAS
INTEGRAL TO THIS COUNTRYS
STORY.
IN AN EFFORT TO BE AS INCLUSIVE
AS POSSIBLE, IVE OFTEN USED THE
TERM LATINX ON THIS TERM,
SECTIONS ABOUT AFRO LATINX
REPRESENTATION IN FILM AND THE
FUTURE OF THE MUSEUM.
ITS NOT A WIDESPREAD TERM.
ONLY 3% OF LATINOS USE LATINX TO
DESCRIBE THEMSELVES.
I HAVE TO SAY EVERY TIME I SAY
IT, IT KICKS UP A COMMENT STORM
ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
SO SOME FOLKS HAVE ALL THE
FEELINGS, SO I REALLY WANTED TO
TALK ABOUT IT.
JOINING ME NOW IS FORMER FLORIDA
CONGRESSMAN AND A DACA RECIPIENT
AND IN CHARGES OF PROGRAMS.
>> JONATHAN, I WANT TO START
WITH YOU AND I WANT TO MAKE IT
CLEAR TO OUR VIEWERS THAT
NEITHER OF YOU ON THIS PANEL
TODAY REPRESENTS EVERY SINGLE
PERSON OF LATINO/LATINX DISSENT.
YOURE EXPRESSING INDIVIDUAL
OPINIONS AND AS SOMEONE FROM
OUTSIDE THE COMMUNITY IM
HONORED TO MODERATE THIS, BUT I
RESPECT THAT IM A GUEST OF THIS
CULTURE AND NOT IN IT.
WHERE DID THIS TERM ACTUALLY
COME FROM?
>> I THINK WHATS REALLY
IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT THIS
TERM IN THIS CONVERSATION, IS
THAT FOR A LONG TIME, LATINX,
LATINO COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN IN
A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT TO
CALL OURSELVES.
TO SEE THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
CREATE THE TERM HISPANIC IN THE
1970s AND COMMUNITIES FIGHT BACK
AND I THINK WHAT THIS
CONVERSATION AROUND LATINX HAS
BEEN GROUNDED IN HAS BEEN TO BE
ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A
LANGUAGE THAT IS INCLUSIVE TO
QUEER, TRANSGENDER AND
NONCONFORMING PEOPLE LIKE
MYSELF, AS SOMEONE WHO WAS BORN
IN PANAMA AND SPANISH IS MY
FIRST LANGUAGE, I REALLY
APPRECIATE THE CHOICE TO FIND
LANGUAGE THAT INCLUDES PEOPLE
LIKE ME INTO THE CONVERSATION,
WHETHER YOU SEE THE WORD LATINX,
LATINA OR LATIN AMERICANS, I
THINK ITS A REALLY IMPORTANT
CONVERSATION.
>> CONGRESSMAN, ILL TURN TO YOU
BECAUSE I KNOW YOU HAVE A
DIFFERENT TAKE AND I HAVE TO SAY
OUR PRODUCER WHO WORKS ON THIS
SEGMENT, SHE USES THE TERM, BUT
EVEN SHE SAYS SHE DIDNT LEARN
IT UNTIL SHE WAS IN COLLEGE.
WHATS YOUR THOUGHT ON THE TERM?
>> TIFFANY, I THINK THIS IS A
GREAT DISCUSSION.
THE FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY IS
I THINK ANY INDIVIDUAL HAS THE
RIGHT TO REQUEST TO BE CALLED
WHATEVER IT IS THAT THEY PREFER.
NOW, WHEN WERE TALKING ABOUT
ENTIRE PEOPLES AND CULTURES, I
DO THINK THAT THAT USED BY MEDIA
AND OTHERS OF THE TERM LATINX IS
AN IMPOSITION ON THE COMMUNITY.
AS YOU SAID, VERY FEW LATINOS IN
THIS COUNTRY IDENTIFY WITH THAT
TERM, USE IT.
A LOT OF THEM HAVE NEVER EVEN
HEARD IT.
AND I THINK IT ALSO REFLECTS A
MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE SPANISH
LANGUAGE.
THE SPANISH LANGUAGE, WHEN WE
SAY LOS LATINOS, FOR EXAMPLE,
THAT INCLUDES EVERYONE.
THATS NOT IN THAT SENSE A MALE
OR A TERM THAT IDENTIFIES
GENDER.
IT REFERS TO EVERYONE.
SO, LOOK, SPANISH IS MY FIRST
LANGUAGE.
WE TAKE OUR CULTURE VERY
SERIOUSLY.
WE LOVE THE UNITED STATES,
OBVIOUSLY.
BUT WE KEEP OUR CULTURE, WE
TAUGHT OUR DAUGHTERS SPANISH
HERE AT HOME BEFORE THEY LEARNED
ENGLISH AT SCHOOL, AND THATS
JUST OUR LANGUAGE.
SPANISH IS KIND OF THE MOTHER
TONGUE OF LATINO CULTURE, OF
THOSE OF US WHOSE FAMILIES CAME
FROM LATIN AMERICA, AND FOR
THOSE OF US WHO REALLY
UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THE
LANGUAGE, WE KIND OF DONT LIKE
OTHER PEOPLE COMING IN AND
SAYING, HEY, YOUR LANGUAGE ISNT
GOOD ENOUGH, ITS INFERIOR, WE
REALLY DONT FEEL THAT WAY.
>> PERHAPS WHEN ITS COMING FROM
OUTSIDE THE COMMUNITY.
BUT THEN I SEE THAT YOU HAVE
THOUGHTS ON THIS WHEN ITS
COMING FROM INSIDE THE
COMMUNITY.
HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO WHAT THE
CONGRESSMAN SAID?
AND I HAVE TO SAY GIVEN THAT
VERY FEW PEOPLE HAVE HEARD OF
THIS TERM AND USE IT,
RESPECTFULLY, I DONT THINK HIS
VIEW IS THAT UNIQUE.
BUT JONATHAN, IM CURIOUS YOUR
RESPONSE.
>> YEAH, I DEFINITELY REJECT THE
PREMISE THAT THIS IS A TERM THAT
IS BEING IMPOSED ON US AS A
COMMUNITY, AS SOMEONE WHOSE
NATIVE LANGUAGE IS SPANISH, AND
BEING A PART OF THE COMMUNITY I
THINK ITS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT
WE RECOGNIZE THE CALL THAT
PEOPLE ARE ISSUING TO ALL OF US.
I THINK WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT
TO RECOGNIZE IS THAT THIS
CONVERSATION ABOUT INCLUDING
QUEER, TRANSGENDER AND
NONCONFORMING FOLKS IS BOTH
HAPPENING HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES, BUT ALSO THROUGHOUT
LATIN AMERICA.
JUST TWO DAYS AGO ARGENTINA
ADDED THE LETTER X TO THEIR
GENDER MARKINGS OF THEIR STATE
IDs TO GIVE RECOGNITION TO
GENDER NONCONFORMING FOLKS IN
THEIR COUNTRY.
SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A
CONVERSATION WERE HAVING
INTERNALLY.
IT IS NOT JUST BEING IMPOSED ON
US BY OUTSIDERS.
AND I THINK IT WOULD BE REMISS
TO NOT USE THIS MOMENT, TO NOT
USE THIS CONVERSATION TO TALK
ABOUT THE MEMBERS OF OUR
COMMUNITIES WHO ARE NOT AT THE
CENTER, WHO ARE MARGINALIZED, TO
TALK ABOUT QUEER, TRANSGENDER
AND NONCONFORMING AND BLACK
PEOPLE AND THE ANTI-BLACKNESS
THAT HAS BEEN A PART OF OUR
CULTURE.
I AM VERY PROUD TO BE OF THE
COMMUNITY AND ALSO MY BELONGING
HAS BEEN QUESTIONED FROM THE
MINUTE I WAS BORN.
SO THAT IS WHAT WE WANT TO TALK
ABOUT.
>> I THINK THATS A GOOD POINT.
AND WE CERTAINLY TRY TO HAVE
THOSE CONVERSATIONS ON THIS
SHOW.
AND BEFORE YOU RESPOND, I WANT
TO THROW UP YOUR TWEET.
BECAUSE I THINK WHEN IT GETS TO
POLITICS IN THIS, ITS WEIRD
THAT YOU AND A DEMOCRAT ARE ON
THE SAME SIDE OF THIS AND YOU
SAY, HEY, YOU WANT TO WIN THE
SPANISH COMMUNITIES, STOP USING
THE TERM LATINX.
SO PLEASE GO AHEAD AND RESPOND
TO JONATHAN.
>> TO THAT POINT, 97% OF THE
COMMUNITY PREFERS TO BE CALLED
SOMETHING ELSE, YOU CAN
CERTAINLY MAKE CONCLUSIONS ABOUT
THE POLITICS.
BUT, AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO
REITERATE FOR THOSE WHO ARENT
SPANISH SPEAKERS, WHEN WE SAY
LOS LATINOS, THAT DOES NOT
EXCLUDE ANYONE.
IT INCLUDES ALL THE PEOPLE.
SOMETHING ELSE, YOU KNOW, THE
BIRDS, THAT INCLUDES ALL THE
BIRDS.
SO, AGAIN, I JUST REALLY DO
THINK THAT THIS IS AN
IMPOSITION.
I THINK THAT CULTURAL ELITES ARE
ESSENTIALLY TELLING SPANISH
SPEAKERS, YOUR LANGUAGE IS
INSUFFICIENT, ITS NOT GOOD
ENOUGH, SO WERE GOING TO USE
THIS TERM AND YOU ALL HAVE TO
ACCEPT IT.
AND, AGAIN, FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL,
I UNDERSTAND, HEY, PLEASE REFER
TO ME AS, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THE
PREFERENCE IS, BUT WHEN YOURE
TALKING ABOUT AN ENTIRE CULTURE,
I THINK YOU NEED TO BE SENSITIVE
TO EVERYONE, RIGHT?
AND A THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF
THE SPANISH LANGUAGE INDICATES
TO ANYONE THAT IT ISNT
EXCLUSIONARY JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE
THINK IT IS OR BECAUSE
ENGLISH-SPEAKING PEOPLE THINK IT
IS, DOESNT MEAN IT ACTUALLY IS.
>> AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A
CONVERSATION THAT WILL BE
ONGOING AND, AGAIN, I JUST WANT
TO PUNCTUATE THE POINT THAT YOU
BOTH ARE EXPRESSING YOUR
INDIVIDUAL OPINIONS AND NOBODY
SHOULD LOOK AT THIS LIKE, OH,
THESE PEOPLE SPEAK FOR THE
ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
BUT I THINK YOU BOTH DO
REPRESENT DIFFERENT THOUGHTS
THAT ITS A WORTHY DISCUSSION.
AND I HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE TO
HAVE IT ON THIS SHOW.
AND PERHAPS THE BEST THING TO DO
IS JUST ASK PEOPLE HOW THEY