Call Me by My Name: Letting People Tell You Who They Are

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Love, Respect, and the Power of Self-Identification

Each of us carries many names, given, chosen, inherited, reclaimed. Names tell the stories of who we are, where we come from, and how we want to be seen. Yet too often, the world decides for us. During Hispanic Heritage Month, Safe Schools South Florida celebrates the depth and diversity of Hispanic and Latin American identities, especially within our LGBTQ+ communities, whose voices have long challenged the idea that culture, language, or gender can ever be limited to one definition.

What the Pew Research Shows

According to a 2024 Pew Research Center report, awareness of the term Latinx, a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina, has doubled since 2019, with nearly half (47%) of U.S. Hispanics now familiar with it. Yet only 4% actually use it to describe themselves.

Among LGBTQ+ Hispanic adults, however, the number rises sharply: 13% identify with the term Latinx, and 67% say they’ve heard of it, compared to 47% overall. For many in queer and trans communities, Latinx or Latine offers language that reflects the full spectrum of gender identities that have always existed but were often unnamed in our languages and cultures.

Still, most Hispanics continue to prefer Hispanic or Latino, and that’s equally valid. As Pew found, 81% of respondents favor those terms, with only 3% preferring Latinx or Latine. The takeaway isn’t about which term “wins.” It’s about agency, the right of each person to define themselves.

The Lesson: Ask, Don’t Assume

Language is alive. It shifts as our understanding of one another grows. But respect isn’t found in the words alone, it’s found in how we use them.

At Safe Schools, we teach that inclusion begins with asking, not assuming.

“What name would you like me to use?”
“What pronouns feel right for you?”
“How do you identify?”

These simple questions are acts of respect. They communicate that we’re not here to tell someone who they are, we’re here to honor who they say they are.

For many LGBTQ+ Hispanic youth, those questions are life-saving. Being misnamed or misgendered can reinforce feelings of invisibility and cultural erasure, while being affirmed can build confidence, belonging, and pride. When a teacher, friend, or family member takes the time to ask and use someone’s chosen name or identity, they’re not just using language, they’re creating safety.

Why It Matters to Our Community

The debate around Latinx is often framed as linguistic or political, but at its core, it’s about visibility and belonging. Spanish, like many languages, is gendered, which can unintentionally exclude those who exist beyond binary categories. For queer, trans, and nonbinary Hispanics, adopting words like Latinx or Latine can feel like claiming space in a culture that has sometimes struggled to name them.

Still, others feel the word was introduced from outside Latin America or that it doesn’t follow Spanish grammatical rules. Both experiences are real. And both deserve respect. The diversity of thought around identity within Hispanic communities mirrors the diversity of our histories, a mixture of colonization, resistance, migration, and creativity.

At Safe Schools South Florida, we believe that diversity is not something to be resolved; it’s something to be celebrated. Our mission has always been to ensure that every student, whether they call themselves Latino, Latina, Latinx, Latine, Afro-Latino, or something else entirely, feels safe to live authentically and proudly.

As language continues to evolve, one principle must remain constant: People have the right to define themselves. To call someone by the name and identity they choose is one of the simplest, most powerful forms of love. It’s how we make our schools, communities, and families places where everyone belongs.

So this Hispanic Heritage Month, let’s remember, celebration starts with affirmation. Let’s listen when people tell us who they are. Let’s honor it. Let’s make space for every accent, every pronoun, every story that makes our community shine.

By: Rev. Dr. Harold Marrero
Chief Operating Officer

We encourage you to share this information with friends, fellow teachers, and allies and join us in bringing awareness to our efforts. Your support is essential for our ongoing work to create safe spaces for all students, regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or expression. Please consider donating to Safe Schools so that we can continue advocating for inclusivity and diversity within the education system.