Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY) blasted the New York Yankees for using the term “Latinx” in a tweet while claiming that nobody in his district ever uses the term — yet the congressman has used the term on several occasions.
On Thursday night, the New York Yankees sent out a series of tweets regarding gun violence. One of those tweets said, “Each year, more than 4,100 Latinx people die from gun violence in the U.S. and 13,300 are shot and wounded.”
Torres responded, “I represent the South Bronx, home to the Yankees. Never heard anyone locally use the term ‘Latinx.’ Does a majority of Hispanics actually use the term ‘Latinx’? If the answer is ‘no’, how did ‘Latinx’ come to be the term to use in government and Corporate America?”
I represent the South Bronx, home to the Yankees. Never heard anyone locally use the term ‘Latinx.’
Does a majority of Hispanics actually use the term ‘Latinx’?
If the answer is ‘no’, how did ‘Latinx’ come to be the term to use in government and Corporate America? https://t.co/4EYR1ksywx
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) May 27, 2022
“If you are speaking to a particular person who prefers ‘Latinx,’ then, by all means, use the term,” he added. “But if you are referring to the Hispanic community in general, why not use the term that the majority itself predominantly uses?”
“Every community should have the right to label itself, rather than have a label imposed on them by others,” the congressman continued.
Torres is correct that hardly any Hispanic person prefers the team “Latinx.” In December 2021, The Daily Wire observed that for some reason, the Left believes that all Americans should live in a gender-neutral world devoid of femininity and masculinity. At the same time, Democrats have wondered why Hispanic Americans have been fleeing the party in droves and voting Republican lately. Politico reported in December that according to a new poll, just 2% of Hispanic American voters used the term “Latinx” — possibly contributing to the exodus.
Pollster Fernand Amandi — whose firm ran the poll — told Politico at the time, “The numbers suggest that using Latinx is a violation of the political Hippocratic Oath, which is to first do no electoral harm.”
“Why are we using a word that is preferred by only 2%, but offends as many as 40 percent of those voters we want to win?” he added.
Maybe Torres read that poll because, in 2020, Torres used to refer to himself and his community with the moniker he now decries. “Never for a moment did I imagine becoming the first openly #LGBTQ Afro-Latinx member of Congress and joining the ranks of the @outmagazine,” Torres tweeted in November 2020.
Never for a moment did I imagine becoming the first openly #LGBTQ Afro-Latinx member of Congress and joining the ranks of the @outmagazine Out100. #RainbowWavehttps://t.co/6xfKtgNLrM pic.twitter.com/6hnll0ArtQ
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) November 21, 2020
Prior to getting elected, Torres tweeted, “A new generation of Latinx representation is rising,” while referencing an NBC tweet that used the term “Latino” and “Latina.”
A new generation of Latinx representation is rising. https://t.co/b8wENyziPJ
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) October 25, 2020
In December 2019, Torres also tweeted, “Honored to earn the endorsement @BOLDDems which has been at the forefront of strengthening Latinx representation in Congress. The backing of @BOLDDems is a game-changer in the #SouthBronx, which is home to one of the highest Latinx populations in the US.”
Honored to earn the endorsement @BOLDDems which has been at the forefront of strengthening Latinx representation in Congress. The backing of @BOLDDems is a game-changer in the #SouthBronx, which is home to one of the highest Latinx populations in the US.https://t.co/dBm2m1fsSX
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) December 2, 2019
Perhaps Torres changed his tune on the term “Latinx” in order to help stop the Hispanic exodus from the Democratic Party.