Arkansas Gov Sanders bans CRT in school, TikTok on state devices, 'Latinx' in official documents

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on her first day in office, signed seven executive orders ranging from banning the use of the word "Latinx" on official documents to prohibiting the use of TikTok on state devices to blocking Critical Race Theory from being taught in schools.

The gender-neutral term "Latinx" will no longer be written in state government documents, per Sanders' order, according to a local ABC affiliate. The ban is meant "respect the Latino community by eliminating culturally insensitive words from official use in government," the order stated.

"Ethnically insensitive and pejorative language has no place in official government documents or government employee titles," the order said. It cited a 2020 Pew Research Center poll that found 3% of Hispanic Americans used Latinx, while 76% had not ever heard of the term.

"Latinx" will be replaced in government documents with "Hispanics, Latino, Latinos, Latina, or Latinas." 

Arkansas also joined the nearly two dozen states with TikTok bans with Sanders' executive order banning the video app from government devices.

Commenting about her ban on teaching public school students Critical Race Theory, the idea that racism penetrates every U.S. institution, Sanders said: "As long as I am governor, our schools will focus on the skills our children need to get ahead in the modern world – not brainwashing our children with a left-wing political agenda."

Sanders additionally signed an order Tuesday to immediately freeze new government hiring. "We are limiting the growth of government before government limits the growth of individual liberty," she said.