About True Name
Isabella
The company Mastercard introduced its True Name feature in 2019 which allows people to put their chosen name on the card instead of their given name even if they haven’t legally changed their name yet. Currently, Mastercard is the ONLY credit card company that offers this feature.
Why is this helpful to LGBTQIA+ communities?
               This is helpful in that it allows transgender and gender non-binary people to put their name of choice on their credit card even if they haven’t changed their name legally. For example, a person who was born biologically male and named John transitioned to become female and wanted people to use the pronouns she/her instead of he/him and use the name Alyssa instead of their dead-name, would be able to put Alyssa on her credit card without having to change her name legally.
               This also means that people are recognizing that not everyone has the option to legally change their name (you need to be at least 18 or have a parents’ permission) and that people are noticing that not everyone uses their given name.
"For a trans person to have a debit card or credit card or any kind of financial account that has their preferred name on that documentation is huge," says Andy Marra, executive director of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, a nonprofit whose mission is to end discrimination and achieve equality for transgender people, especially those in the most vulnerable communities. "It is an acknowledgment of who we are as people."
Just because your birth certificate says what your name is (ex. Lizzie Green) doesn’t necessarily mean that you want to go by that name. You might decide you want a gender-neutral name instead of a typically male or female name (ex. Lizzie Green to Alex Green).
This can seem small to some people, but if people know your dead-name, it can giveaway the fact that you’re trans, which often leads to discrimination and harassment. Being able to put your preferred name on a credit card means you can keep that detail about yourself secret from people who might act differently toward you if they knew.
What can you do?
               You can speak up for trans and non-binary people. Helping get the word out is a good way to get trans and non-binary people the justice they deserve. They are people too.
You can use the pronouns a person would like you to use and you can call them by their preferred name/nickname.
You can even just wear things that represent the LGBTQ community. Sometimes speaking out is all in what you’re wearing.