American multinational financial services corporation Mastercard will now allow transgender and non-binary customers to use their chosen names on their credit and debit cards.
The corporation through a statement announced on Monday it would be implementing the initiative True Name in an effort to combat discrimination at the cash register.
According to the company, this means that a name on a credit card owned by a transgender person could be different than the name found on their birth certificate or driver’s license.
Mastercard said in a statement, “We are working with partners to create a product, as well as a sensitive and private process free of personal questions, that will allow for true names, not deadnames, to appear on cards without the requirement of a legal name change. This will ease a major pain point for the transgender and non-binary community.
In addition to implementing the change, the company also called on the industry to follow in “ensuring a way for people’s financial products to reflect their true identity.”
Randall Tucker, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Mastercard also said, “We are allies of the LGBT+ community, which means if we see a need or if this community is not being served in the most inclusive way, we want to be a force for change to help address and alleviate unnecessary pain points.
“This translates not only for our Mastercard employee community but for our cardholders and the communities in which we operate more broadly. Our vision is that every card should be for everyone.”
In three states, Tennessee, Kansas, and Ohio, transgender people are legally barred from changing the sex listed on their birth certificate, according to LGTB rights organization Out Leadership.
According to 2015 study cited by Mastercard, nearly one-third of individuals who have ID with a name or gender that does not match their presentation have reported negative experiences, such as being harassed, attacked and/or denied services.
