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Jack Qu'emi is a writer and self-described "queer, non-binary femme," who among other terms identifies as Afro-Latinx. That's Latinx. Not Latino. Not Latina. The term (pronounced: la-teen-ex) is gaining traction in Spanish-speaking communities. But many are still asking, "What's the meaning of the 'x'?" Qu'emi explains: "The x [in Latinx], is a way of rejecting the gendering of words to begin with, especially since Spanish is such a gendered language." Like the use of they/them/their pronouns in English (in place of the gendered pronouns he/him/his and she/her/hers), "Latinx" is an attempt in Spanish to include non-binary people, those who are neither male nor female.

The letter X is in vogue: from the iPhone 10 X, Latinx, to Gen X, it's everywhere. What catapulted this letter to notoriety? Read this article/listen to the podcast to find out what gives this letter its trendy and edgy vibe.

Journalist Nicholas Kristof explores contemporary buzzwords and changing social sensibilities regarding language and journalistic style norms, for example, the shift from "women" to "people with uteruses" or "homeless" to "houseless." Kristof examines the reasons behind these recent adoptions, but also raises the issue of how some peopleʻs use of well-intentioned, more sensitive, and "inclusive" language may ironically be alienating other sectors of society. For example, while the media and corporate (white) America mayʻve adopted the term "Latinx," a Pew survey found that only 3 percent of Hispanics themselves use the term.

The article talks about the history drag and LGBTQ+ slang and the double-edged sword of the language becoming mainstream. It's interesting how many subcultures such as African American and Latinx cultures contributed to what drag is today.