In October of this year Citi announced that it is joining the new Mastercard programme which offers transgender and non-binary people the ability to use their chosen name on eligible credit cards. This is the first major global bank to join this new initiative for consumer cards and for the first time offers eligible credit card customers the chance to use their self-identified name. This is something of a major breakthrough in terms of transgender and non-binary recognition and reaches beyond the recognitions that are afforded to these customers by their legal documentation.
This is part of a broader commitment at Mastercard, and it must be said across large swathes of corporate and financial America, to support LGBTQ+ equality against a most unsteady backdrop of political support in recent years. Mastercard have been putting action alongside their words in this bid, signing an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the United States. In the UK, they sent a letter to the Prime Minister advocating for trans equality in the United Kingdom and are committed to an equitable and inclusive culture. Citi’s release around this recent announcement highlighted their achievement over the past 16 years in which they received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national survey that benchmarks corporate policies and practices for LGBTQ+ workplace equality.
This is a step in the right direction in the consumer space and showcases a growing demand for inclusion across the board. In a year of great challenge and upheaval it is welcome news to see large companies across the world championing human rights and recognising the intrinsic right of us all to self-identify.
