One evening last week after work I was reading articles on Quora and I noticed an ad for Citi new idea; “True Name Credit Card” At the very least I was intrigued! A credit card with your PREFERRED NAME! This made me think…

(The following example is my situation and may or may not be consistent with the same pronouns that any reader may use for themselves; but the basic idea will relate)

Standing at a store counter in a crowd. Presenting yourself as your true self (the gender that you identify as). You are having a great day!

Suddenly I realize that my credit card has my legal name (entirely male) printed on the front. I hope that the cashier does not look at it. Please just let me swipe and be on my way. Nope the cashier asks for it. I slowly hand it over and they look at it and ask for the individual on the card by name!! And furthermore they say the name out loud!! People standing close by all look on while I feel like I am on a stage, sole person in the spotlight. “Yes” I reply, “That is MY card” The next thing that I hear is “This card belongs to a man”. NOPE, this is a credit card belonging to a WOMAN with a man’s legal name.

I only hope the others standing around listening to this exchange of dialogue do not include someone who will follow me meaning harm. At the very least the great mood I was in is gone. Maybe I will just use cash from now on to avoid this situation and having to be reminded YET AGAIN of the name on my birth certificate.

BUT THIS CARD!! This card will use my preferred name printed on the front and also on the receipts that print during purchase! Citi and Mastercard have teamed up to support and validate Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming individuals. The validation that is felt any time you can see a name that supports the gender that you identify with gives an indescribable feeling.

👇👇 Click below to read about True Name Mastercard 👇👇

True Name | Mastercard

I can only hope that some day this will be a thing with Driver’s Licenses! 😁😄

Please drop your experiences in the comments and as always; if you have a topic that you would like to see me write about please let me know in the comments or contact me directly!

Love ya,

Mel