The term "Latinx" is so awkward - what's wrong with "Latin"?

I heard on the radio for the first time today the term "Latinx", the supposedly gender-neutral word designed to replace the use of the gender-specific "Latino" and "Latina" to describe people of Hispanic background. I also found out that it is pronounced "Latin-ex", not "Latinks". Who knew?
It is, I think, one of the more awkward among many awkward gender-neutral neologisms. It is used almost exclusively in the USA, and is not recognized in any Spanish-speaking country. It is also used extremely infrequently, even in the States, principally among young politically active student and academics, and has not achieved mainstream recognition.
But it occurred to me to wonder: why not use the equally gender-neutral and much simpler "Latin". It would be pretty clear in context that this does not refer to the language of the ancient Romans. Apparently, the word "Hispanic" has also accumulated baggage and negative connotations over the years, although I am still not entirely clear why. But Latin is safe (and gender-neutral), isn't it?