Better than “Latinx”
Ok so Latinx is nice and all as an attempt for a gender-neutral Spanish term, but in all honesty, it's not that great. It feels weird and unnatural to say when actually saying it in Spanish, and from what I can tell, it really came from having Mx. which is the gender-neutral English term for Ms. Mr. and Mrs. so it's fine for English standards, but it's really not for Spanish standards. This is my suggestion.
Now already the terms Latina and Latino exist, both meaning someone who is either male or female and is also Latin. But not everyone is male or female, so obviously a gender-neutral term is needed. I propose, Latinau. It is easier and cleaner to say, and sticks with the pattern of ending with a vowel. Not only that, but it works with other gendered Spanish words as well:
Amigau-From Amiga and Amigo
Señorau-From Señora and Señor
Primau-From Prima and Primo
Tíau-From Tía and Tío
Sobrinau-From Sobrina and Sobrino
Hermanau-From Hermana and Hermano
Esposau-From Esposa and Esposo
Niñau-From Niña and Niño
Señoritau-From Señorita and Señorito
Noviau-From Novia and Novio
And the above are just a few basic examples of how well the “au” would work at the end of the words.So, how would this be pronounced? Simple. Ow. That's it. It's simply adding an ow sound at the end of the word, rather than an ah or oh sound, and much better than a hard x at the end each word.
Again, this is merely a suggestion as an attempt to have gender-neutral terms for non-binary people who are Hispanic and/or Latinau and like the choice of having a word to use to describe them in Spanish while it also feels and flows naturally when talking. I would also love feedback from actual non-binary Hispanics and/or Latinaus and know what you think of this term.
