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A Trans/Latine Journey Through Language and Legacy

7 min read
Vibrant butterfly artwork symbolizing transgender pride within the Latine, Latinx, and Hispanic heritage featured on TransLash Media with the words "A Resource Guide for Trans, Non-Binary and Gender Non-Conforming People for Latinx Heritage Month and Everyday Life" on it

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Latine Heritage Month or Latinx Heritage Month or National Hispanic Heritage Month can elicit a range of responses for trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming (TNBGNC) individuals of Latin American and Hispanic descent. For some, it is a time of cultural pride and celebration. For others, it is a reminder of inherited trauma, ongoing marginalization, and systems that continue to erase or oversimplify intersectional identities. 

Whatever your relationship to this month, whether celebratory, critical, or evolving, your experiences are valid. This guide was created with trans and gender-expansive Latine people in mind, offering both context and resources to support you during this time and beyond. 

Understanding the Origins of the Term “Hispanic”

The term Hispanic did not emerge organically from our communities. Instead, it was established in 1977 by the U. S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as part of a federal effort to standardize racial and ethnic data collection. The OMB defined Hispanic as referring to individuals with “Spanish culture or origin,” regardless of race.

This classification grouped people from over 30 nations into a single, bureaucratic category, even though each one has distinct histories, languages, and racial compositions. It erased Indigenous, Black, Afro-Latinx, Asian-Latinx, and gender-expansive identities. Moreover, it served to depoliticize the radical organizing of the Chicano Movement by replacing its cultural nationalism with a more assimilationist, state-sanctioned identity.

Today, many still select the Hispanic category on official forms because many systems (e.g. education, healthcare, employment) provide no alternatives.

Latino, Latinx, Latine: A Critical Distinction

It is important to understand the distinctions between commonly used terms:

  • Hispanic refers to individuals from Spanish-speaking countries, including Spain
  • Latino (or Latina) typically refers to people from Latin America, and does not include Spain
  • Latinx and Latine are gender-inclusive alternatives to Latino/Latina, created to expand beyond the binary present in Spanish language. 

The need for inclusive language arises from the reality that Spanish often excludes or misgenders trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people. Latinx, which is more common in the U.S., and Latine, which is increasingly used in Spanish-speaking communities, offer alternatives that affirm and reflect gender diversity. 

Both are valid, and you should use what aligns with your identity and lived experience. 

Why the Term “Hispanic” Remains Controversial and Harmful

While still widely used across government, academia, and media, the term Hispanic continues to generate concern, particularly about TNBGNC members of Latine communities. 

Its usage carries significant implications:

  • It is not a racial category, but it is often treated as one which flattens cultural and ethnic differences into a single, state-approved label
  • It centers Spain and colonial legacies, marginalizing Afro-Latinx, Indigenous, and Caribbean lineages
  • It has been used historically to tokenize or erase queer and trans voices, reducing visibility rather than expanding it
  • It reinforces a whitewashed, cis-normative narrative that fails to reflect the plurality of Latinx/Latine identities and experiences

Despite these concerns, many will still use the term strategically because Hispanic remains the default on most official forms. For many, it is a term of necessity rather than choice as individuals often have no meaningful alternative if they wish to access education, employment, healthcare, or house. 

This reflects a broader issue: the bureaucracy of erasure. 

Institutional systems in the U.S., which includes schools, hospitals, workplaces, and government agencies, continue to rely on outdated and incomplete demographic categories. 

These systems rarely:

  • Offer Latinx/Latine as an option
  • Allow for self-identification beyond binary gender categories
  • Include recognition of Afro-Latinx, Asian-Latinx, or Indigenous heritage
  • Collect or respect gender identity, pronouns, or chosen names

For TNBGNC Latine individuals, this systemic invisibility has real consequences. It can restrict access to gender-affirming care, compromise safety, and limit access to culturally competent services. The forms we are required to fill out rarely reflect the fullness and intersectionality of who we are. 

Why Latinx and Latine Language Matters for Trans Communities

Using gender-inclusive language is not about political correctness. It is a matter of survival, visibility, and cultural affirmation. As Dr. María R. Scharrón-del Río, a queer Puerto Rican psychologist, has said, “Language is an intervention tool—it saves lives.”

The usage of Latinx or Latine:

  • Disrupts binary gender norms
  • Acknowledges and centers trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals
  • Reflects a commitment to liberation rather than simply representation

By using these terms, we can insist that gender-diverse people not only exist within our cultures, but that they have always existed. 

Affirming Ways to Celebrate and Honor Latine Heritage Month as a TNBGNC Person

Whether you observe this month as Latinx Heritage Month, Latine Heritage Month, or Hispanic Heritage Month, you have the right to define your relationship to this time in ways that honor your truth and lived experience. 

Some ways could include:

  • Studying the lives and legacies of trans and queer Latin American elders
  • Creating or sharing art, poetry, or music that reflects both gender and cultural identity
  • Hosting or attending events rooted in queer cultural storytelling and mutual aid
  • Sharing your story publicly or privately, on your own terms
  • Holding intentional conversations with chosen family about identity, language, and liberation
In Solidarity and Community

There is no single way to be Latinx, Latine, or TNBGNC. You do not need to speak Spanish, “pass,” or fit into externally defined categories to claim your heritage and your identity.

This month, and every month, you are entitled to:

  • Be fully seen and affirmed
  • Celebrate your lineage without compromise
  • Experience joy, safety, and healing

Systems may attempt to reduce us to checkboxes. But our lives and our histories refuse to be contained. This month may not have been designed with TNBGNC people in mind, but we are here. We have always been here. And we are building something better together.

Whether you are navigating systems, challenging norms, or simply existing in your truth: You are not alone. You are loved. You are powerful.

Resources for Thriving as a TNBGNC/Latine Individual

Organizational & Community Support

Health, Mental Health, & Resource Directories

Clothing, Basic Needs, & Mutual Aid

Intersectional LGBTQ+ QTPoC Initiatives

Check your local LGBTQ+ center—most offer a multi-service directory that includes access to gender-affirming healthcare, legal aid for documentation changes, support groups, mental health services, housing assistance, and affirming clothing resources.