MasterCard’s “True Name” Campaign Is Real Corporate Allyship

MasterCard is being praised by LGBTQ advocates this week for their “True Name” campaign that allows trans and nonbinary individuals to put their chosen name on their credit cards.

In a waterworks-inducing ad, the corporation revealed its new card that’s being hailed as the exact kind of corporate move that big brands should be making to be real allies to the queer community. The cards will be a permanent addition to the company and their partners, Citi and BMO Harris.

“For many in the LGBTQIA+ community, the name on their credit, debit, or prepaid card does not reflect their true identity, causing painful, daily reminders of a conflict between their true name and the name on their card,” MasterCard writes on their website, “In 2019, we worked to ease this pain point by creating True Name, a first-of-its-kind feature that makes secure payments truly safe for all.”

The National Center for Transgender Equality conducted a study where they found a startling one-third of individuals who have shown IDs with a name or gender that did not match their presentation reported  being harassed, denied services, or, in the worst cases, even attacked. MasterCard hopes to drastically reduce these alarming numbers with the True Name option.

Big business has been highly criticized during Pride Month for doing the bare minimum to support the LGBTQ community, or worse, utilizing rainbows and Pride slogans during the month solely for their own profit. Queer advocates mocked these pseudo-conscious companies online for removing their rainbow branding the second the clock struck midnight on July 1. MasterCard marks one of the first large-scale corporations to make a significant, lasting commitment to queer community—one that will make a daily difference in the lives of millions of trans and nonbinary people.

In a year horrifyingly characterized by a record number of anti-trans attacks, both in political and social spheres, the True Name campaign is a desperately needed show of support for the trans community. Twitter was flooded with trans and queer people expressing their thanks to MasterCard and retweeting the emotional video. Watch the full-length ad below, but have some tissues at the ready—it’s a guaranteed tearjerker.