Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines participants’ conceptions of their ethnic and sexual identities and examines the ways in which these identities shape language practices. It shows how the queer Mexicans/Latinxs presented themselves in interaction, how they constructed, maintained, rejected, and negotiated ethnic and sexual identities in interaction, and how they articulated their imaginings of Mexicans/Latinxs (LGBTQ) and Mexican/Latinx ‘communities’ to which they did or did not see themselves as belonging. The book fills a gap in the literature by expanding our understanding of LGBTQ language practices within Latinx Studies/Jotería Studies and, at the same time, broadening our understanding of Mexican/Latinx and bilingual language practices within queer linguistics. It delves into the question of how participants narrate their experiences of coming to acknowledge their sexual identities and asserting these identities within their family networks.