Citi Bank Allows Trans, Nonbinary Cardholders to Use Chosen Name

Citi announced transgender and nonbinary customers will no longer be forced to use birth names on eligible credit cards.

The move is part of the "True Name" program with Mastercard, which offers approved customers the option to choose the name they want to appear on participating credit cards. This option was previously available only to those who had obtained a court order for a legal name change.

"At Citi, we are passionate about helping to ensure our customers feel recognized, accepted and empowered to be their true selves," Carla Hassan, chief marketing officer for Citi, said in a statement. "We're incredibly proud to launch the True Name feature, through our relationship with Mastercard, because we strongly believe that our customers should have the opportunity to be called by the name that represents who they really are."

Eligible existing credit cardholders can now request a new credit card bearing their chosen name. Citi further plans to soon let members choose the name by which they wish to be addressed when speaking with a customer service representative or using any online or mobile access points. These combined efforts are all part of Citi's effort to not just acknowledge but also affirm trans equality throughout their business model.

"Believing in growth and progress for all includes growth and progress for trans and nonbinary people, too," Pam Habner, head of Citi U.S branded cards, said on the company's website.

The intent of the True Name program is reflected in its name. While trans and nonbinary persons are seeing greater acceptance in some parts of society, problems remain with government-issued identification not reflecting their presentation or chosen name. The National Center for Transgender Equality examined the problem and found nearly a third of those surveyed endured negative experiences when using the incorrect ID cards. Complaints ranged from harassment and denial of services to outright assault.

The True Name initiative was launched initially in 2019 by Mastercard.

"Citi is a trans-affirmative brand and we will proudly continue the fight for trans and non-binary equality," Habner said.

You can learn more about Citi's new program by visiting citi.com/updatemyname.

(Related: IMDb Now Lets Trans People Remove Their Birth Names...Kind Of)