Citi Expands Trans-Friendly “True Name” Feature for U.S. Debit Cards
metroweekly.com2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, more than two-thirds, or 68%, of transgender respondents reported that none of their forms of identification matched their chosen name or correct gender marker.
The survey found that the cost of changing ID documents — which in some states, include the cost of hiring a lawyer and going to court to obtain a judge’s order — were prohibitively expensive for many respondents.Additionally, that survey also revealed that nearly 1 in 3 transgender individuals with IDs that don’t match their gender presentation were verbally harassed, physically assaulted, and denied service or benefits at restaurants, stores, financial institutions, or other public accommodations.
Taking this into account, Citi launched the True Name Initiative to allow all customers — including transgender individuals — to change or update the name displayed on their credit and debit cards without having to submit a slew of legal documents attesting to a name or gender marker change.Nikki Darden, Citi’s managing director and head of global marketing integration, DEI Brand strategy, purpose marketing, and internal brand engagement, told Metro Weekly in an interview that Citi was inspired to undertake the initiative because of the data from the U.S.
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