TIME

Why ‘Latinx’ has succeeded where other new labels have failed

THERE ARE PLENTY OF GENDER-NEUTRAL TERMS THAT people have tried to make a part of American English. Take upstart pronouns like xe or zir, which have been discussed for centuries and remain little-used. Consider first-year student, which has a long way to go before supplanting freshman. Or recall the discussions about genderless military titles, like midshiperson, which have yet to leave port.

There have also been success stories, from flight attendant to

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