(CNN) — Mastercard has announced that it will let transgender and non-binary people use their chosen name, rather than their legal or given name, on credit, debit and prepaid cards.
“For many in the LGBTQIA+ community, the name on their credit, debit or prepaid card does not reflect their true identity,” the company said in a release. “As a result, for the transgender and non-binary communities in particular, the card in their pocket can serve as a source of sensitivity, misrepresenting their true identity when shopping and going about daily life.”
As part of its LGBT inclusion initiatives, the bank is offering a “True Name” card, which can be obtained through “a sensitive and private process free of personal questions.”
“We want to be a force for change to help address and alleviate unnecessary pain points [in the LGBTQIA+ community],” Randall Tucker, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Mastercard said in the release.
The usage of chosen or true names versus “deadnames” in the trans and non-binary communities is more than a source of identity, it is also an issue of mental health and safety. A 2018 study found that trans and non-binary teens who were allowed to use their chosen names, instead of their given ones, reduced their odds of suicide and depression. Also in 2018, Twitter banned purposefully misgendering or “deadnaming” trans users, flagging the practices as as forms of abuse or harassment.
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