HSBC has launched a novel initiative to offer its transgender community a choice of 10 new gender-neutral titles. The bank says this is part of its plan to improve the banking experience for customers. The bank said its account holders will no longer have to use conventional titles such as Mr, Mrs and Ms, but instead be able to choose from a list that includes prefixes such as Mx, Ind, M, Mre, and Misc. These titles chosen would be applied across customers’ accounts, including on their bank cards and all correspondence, the bank said. The initiative has been launched in tandem with HSBC Pride, the bank’s internal lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employee network. The group played an advisory role in ensuring the new services reflected the ‘financial needs of the trans community’. It has invested in extra training for all branch and contact center staff to ensure the improvements happen. The announcement, which coincides with International Transgender Day of Visibility, on 31 March, is the latest initiative aimed at a community that has struggled for recognition from a variety of organizations and corporations. The new titles are: Ind (abbreviation of individual), M, Mx (pronounced “mix” or “mux”), Misc (for miscellaneous), Mre (for mystery), Msr (a mix of miss/sir), Myr, Pr (prounced “per”, for person), Sai (pronounced “sigh”) and Ser (pronounced “sair”).
