Mexico’s Supreme Court (SCJN) has ruled in favor of a Chihuahua state education law that mandates the ‘correct use’ of the Spanish language in public schools, a decision that curtails the use of gender-inclusive language in classrooms.
The law, passed by the northern border state’s legislature, requires teachers and students to follow standard grammatical rules of Spanish, which assigns masculine or feminine gender to nouns and adjectives. In recent years, activists and some educators across Latin America have promoted alternatives—such as ending words with ‘e’ instead of ‘o’ or ‘a’, or using symbols like ‘x’ and ‘@’—to make the language more inclusive of non-binary and gender-diverse people.
Critics of the Chihuahua measure had challenged it as discriminatory, arguing it restricts free expression and fails to reflect evolving social norms around gender identity. However, the justices sided with the state, backing lawmakers’ authority to set language standards in public education and reinforcing the use of traditional, standardized Spanish in schools.
The ruling adds to an ongoing debate in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries over whether official institutions should adapt language to reflect gender diversity, or whether such changes undermine linguistic consistency taught to students.
For the full story and details on the court’s reasoning, read the original report at La Jornada.
Image: ismael villafranco, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).