'The Five' on the use of the word 'latinx'
'The Five' co-hosts questioned the use of terms 'latinx' and 'bipoc' despite polls that suggest they are unpopular.
Twitter users took the Associated Press to task over its tweet claiming there's a major "divide" among Hispanics over the use of the woke term "Latinx."
A report published Sunday drew attention to an executive order from Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders that would ban the state government from using "Latinx," declaring the word "culturally insensitive" to Hispanics broadly and citing a Pew Research poll that shows just 3% of the Hispanic population uses the term to describe themselves.
According to the AP, Sanders' order has "prompted complaints from some critics who view it as yet another attack by Republicans on the LGBTQ community," and "Many in the LGBTQ Latino community have embraced the word, but it has been slow to catch on more widely, with some Latino figures calling the term unnecessary."
GOV. SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS BANS ‘LATINX’ FROM ARKANSAS GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks after taking the oath of the office on the steps of the Arkansas Capitol Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Little Rock, Ark. (AP Photo/Will Newton)
The report cited advocacy organizations like The League of United Latin American Citizens and the LGBTQ group Log Cabin Republicans as well as Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., all of whom reject the term "Latinx."
The AP then pointed to one critic, who heads the Hispanic LGBTQ group The Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action, calling Sanders' order "an attempt to erase" the Hispanic LGBTQ community in her state. A 21-year-old nonbinary student at the University of Arkansas who uses the term along with another gender-neutral alternative, "Latine," was also quoted.
The AP did acknowledge the Pew poll showing only 3% of the Hispanic community preferred the term but stressed, "Age is an important factor" in knowledge of the word, writing, "Hispanics ages 18-29 are six times more likely than older generations to have heard of the term — 42% compared with 7% of those ages 65 or older."
On Twitter, the prominent newswire shared its report, tweeting, "One of Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ first acts as Arkansas governor was to ban most state agencies from using the gender-neutral term Latinx, tapping into a debate that’s divided Hispanics along generational lines."
SALON COMMENTARY CANCELS THE TERM ‘LATINX’ AS NOT INCLUSIVE ENOUGH
The Associated Press was fact-checked on Twitter for claiming the term "Latinx" is dividing Hispanics. (REUTERS/Kacper Pempel )
Critics rebuked the tweet, noting that "Latinx" is extremely unpopular.
"This is actually not divisive at all among Hispanics. 98% of Hispanics reject this term — consistently across every age cohort, nationality, and gender. Good for @SarahHuckabee," Visto Media founder Giancarlo Sopo reacted.
"Three percent of Latinos say they like the term Latinx. That’s not a ‘generational line,' it’s a rounding error," Claremont Institute fellow Megan Basham tweeted.
"This article doesn’t point out that only 3 percent of Latinos use this term until paragraph 23," columnist David Marcus pointed out.
"Misleading to say using ‘Latinx’ is part of a ‘debate that’s divided Hispanics along generational lines.' The poll cited in the story shows that even the youngest people barely say it The divide is along ideological lines —very liberal/progressives say it," NBC News reporter Marc Caputo wrote, citing the same Pew poll.
The AP fueled so much backlash that it was slapped with a disclaimer from Twitter's Community Notes program where users described as "birdwatchers" are able to provide context.
"Article's headline puts an impression that this is a highly debated issue for Hispanics. Polls going back to 2019 to present have shown that Hispanics overwhelmingly reject the use of the term ‘Latinx,'" the disclaimer read citing articles from NBC News, The Washington Post and The Federalist.
The Associated Press was slapped with a disclaimer by Twitter's "birdwatchers" who fact-checked a tweet claiming the term "Latinx" was dividing the Hispanic community. (Screenshot/Twitter)
Sanders also took a swipe at the AP, tweeting, "I banned the use of ‘Latinx’ in government because I will not permit my administration to use culturally insensitive words that greatly offend the vast majority of Hispanics. No matter what the liberal corporate media says we will keep the radical left’s agenda out of Arkansas."