Mastercard, the payments company, actively demonstrated its support for the transgender and non-binary communities with the “True Name” initiative, which enables these consumers to put their chosen name on the front of their cards.
Anthony DeRojas, director, consumer marketing at Mastercard, discussed this program during a virtual conference held by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA).
He explained that “True Name”, which launched last year, was based on “a powerful insight, a truth, and a painpoint for the transgender and non-binary communities.” (For more, read WARC’s in-depth report: Mastercard supports transgender and non-binary communities with “True Name” program.)
Various statistics provided numerical support for this reality, such as the fact 60% of transgender people report experiencing discrimination when applying for a name or gender change, causing many to forego the process.
Furthermore, another 68% of transgender people say that none of their IDs have the name and gender they prefer, DeRojas said.
Thirty-three percent of individuals who have shown IDs with a name or gender that did not match their presentation reported being harassed, denied services and/or attacked.
“Without a legal name-change, the payment card in their pocket can serve as a source of sensitivity, misrepresenting their true identity when they’re shopping or just going about daily life,” DeRojas said.
“We decided to do something about it. Our solution was to name a feature that we feel embodies our mission of acceptance for trans and non-binary individuals – people for whom the name displayed on the front of their cards often represents someone they’re not.”
The True Name program has already been adopted by BMO Harris – a bank which operates branches in states including Illinois, Arizona, Minnesota, Florida, and Wisconsin – and has gained significant media coverage.
Said DeRojas, “Our goal was to set a new industry standard [whereby] people’s financial products could reflect their true identity and bring a historically marginalised group within the LGBTQIA+ community to the forefront.”
Sourced from WARC
