North Miami-Dade News

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL)'s amendment to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill that prohibits the Biden Administration from using the term "Latinx" on public-facing government documents. The amendment, inspired by Salazar's similarly-named legislation, the Reject Latinx Act, aims to address the controversy surrounding the term.

"The reality is that the Spanish language has two genders: masculine and feminine. Male and female. Period. But a new generation wants to destroy a universal Hispanic reality. It wants to erase a grammatical rule that’s been in place for centuries because of an obsession with wokeness," said Rep. Salazar, explaining the rationale behind her amendment.

The Biden Administration has been using the term "Latinx" in various instances. However, according to a November 2021 Bendixen and Amandi poll, only 2% of Latinos actually use this term, while at least 31% find its use offensive, as revealed by a 2022 Gallup poll. Salazar's amendment aims to prevent the term from being imposed on Latinos who prefer to adhere to the traditional grammatical rules of the Spanish language.

The amendment received bipartisan support and is not intended to stifle free speech. It specifically applies to public government documents and aims to protect the Hispanic culture from being erased by government extremists. Salazar's amendment ensures that Latinos can continue proudly using the male and female grammatical rules that have been in place for centuries.

Representing Florida's 27th congressional district, where more than 75% of the population is of Hispanic descent, Congresswoman Salazar is committed to defending the cultural heritage of her constituents.

The passage of Salazar's "Reject Latinx Act" in the House of Representatives marks a significant step in addressing the controversy surrounding the term "Latinx" and preserving the linguistic and cultural traditions of the Hispanic community.

To find out more, go to this link: https://salazar.house.gov/media/press-releases/salazars-reject-latinx-act-passes-house-representatives