MasterCard To Allow Transgendered To Choose Their Name

                In a recent press release, MasterCard announced the roll-out of its “True Name” card policy, which will soon allow transgender and non-binary people to use names other than their legal name on their credit cards. According to Time magazine, Raj Seshadri, the president of U.S. issuers at MasterCard, stated: “What we’re introducing is a card that represents an individual as who they truly are.”

                Which is the opposite of the truth, of course. They are introducing a card that represents an individual as who they are pretending to be. The “True Name” policy is a sham…unless one believes that an individual’s true name is anything other than his or her legal one.

                Randall Tucker, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for MasterCard, said in a press release: “We are allies of the LGBTQIA+ community, which means if we see a need or if this community is not being served in the most inclusive way, we want to be a force for change to help address and alleviate unnecessary pain points. This translates not only for our MasterCard employee community but for our cardholders and the communities in which we operate more broadly. Our vision is that every card should be for everyone.” Every card should be for everyone? That might lead to confusion.

                Apparently, the ultra-woke credit card company started pondering the idea after its leadership learned of a 2015 study purporting to show that 32 percent of people who identified as transgender reported being harassed when attempting to use a form of ID that did not match either their name or their gender.

                What if I try to use an ID that doesn’t match my name or my gender? Will checkout clerks, police officers, rental car companies, and bouncers-- to name a few-- be cool with that?  Will they be tolerant and inclusive? Or will they “harass” me? If MasterCard is only planning to allow the transgendered and non-binary to get away with using whatever name they choose on their cards, that is highly discriminatory and non-inclusive.

    If I happen to be a 6’ 5” muscular man with a large Adam’s apple, protruding package, and loads of facial hair, and present a MasterCard and supporting ID showing my name as “Tina” and gender as female, I better not get any questioning looks or I’m going to sue.  “Master the possibilities” I always say.

   Having a penis and still being recognized as a female? Priceless. For this—and everything else-- there’s MasterCard.