Mastercard gives NYC's Gay Street an inclusive update with a sign featuring a litany of identities
Brand updated an iconic LGBTQ location alongside its initiative to help transgender customers put chosen names on credit cards
Editor's Pick
The Stonewall Inn, on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, became the epicenter of the modern gay rights movement 50 years ago, when riots broke out after years of police raids. Just a block and a half away, the road intersects with Gay Street, a happy coincidence that results in a popular and photogenic street sign.
But the fight for civil rights has expanded beyond just gays and lesbians over the decades, and “Gay Street” might not fully encompass the range of identities involved in the movement. A new initiative from Mastercard attempts to rectify that.
In a partnership with New York City’s Human Rights Commission, the brand and its agency McCann XBC commissioned additional street signs from the same company that builds official signs for the city to transform Gay Street into "Acceptances Street." In descending order below the “Gay St” sign now hangs a fittingly rainbow-colored litany of identities: Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Nonbinary, Pansexual and Two Spirit. Beneath it all, a black “+” sign acknowledges that there are still others not included in the list above.
In addition to a series of signs, Mastercard has undertaken a project to help people whose identities may not match the ones they were assigned at birth use credit cards more easily. The process of a legal name change can be both difficult and expensive, and not everyone has the means or the opportunity to petition the courts. That means presenting a credit card can be an uncomfortable, even potentially dangerous situation for many people.
Mastercard’s “True Name” project aims to find a secure, non-invasive way to let people choose names other than their legal ones to appear on credit and debit cards, and it is currently working with the city’s Human Rights Commission to figure out the details.
Credits
- Date
- Jun 26, 2019
- Client :
- MasterCard
- Agency :
- McCann XBC
- EVP Global Executive Creative Director :
- Pierre Lipton
- Global Creative Director :
- Adrian Botan
- EVP Executive Creative Director :
- Pete Jones
- EVP Executive Creative Director :
- Joel Rodriguez
- VP Creative Director :
- Carlos Wigle
- VP Creative Director :
- Evan Benedetto
- Art Director :
- Antonia Orol-Berlinger
- Senior Copywriter :
- Noah Benezra
- Copywriter :
- Morgan Mack
- Associate Creative Director :
- Lucas Crigle
- Junior Art Director :
- Mikayla Lapierre
- Copywriter :
- Hope Nardini
- Chief Production Officer :
- Nathy Aviram
- SVP Executive Producer :
- Judi Nierman
- SVP Executive Producer Innovation :
- Christine Lane
- Senior Integrated Producer :
- Dagmar Wong
- Producer :
- Liz O'Connor
- Senior Integrated Producer :
- Amber Briscoe
- Managing Director :
- Veronica Bertran
- VP Account Director :
- Shelley Bowcher
- Account Supervisor :
- Mariano Pintor
- EVP Global Strategy Director :
- Oriol Bombi
- SVP Group Strategy Director :
- Dan Cohn
- Senior Strategist :
- Rosalind Mowitt
- Strategist :
- Nina Kossoff
- VP Social Strategy Director :
- Danielle Karr
- Social Strategist :
- Kristen Levy
- Content Creator :
- Eric Perini
- Content Creator :
- Brett Berman
- Content Creator :
- Aude Cuenod
- Chief Comms Officer :
- Jeremy Miller
- Sign Production Company :
- Traction Creative
- Photographer :
- John Clang
- Craft Post Producer :
- Shannon Botts
- Craft Colorist :
- Benny Karas
- Craft Audio Mixer :
- Jon Smith
- Craft Editor :
- Ilya Katsap
- Craft Editor :
- Deb McMurtrey
- Craft Assistant Editor :
- Christine Doughty
- Craft Editor :
- Ted Maniatakos
- Craft SVP Head of Content NA :
- Adam Hirsch
- Craft Executive Producer :
- Ray Klonsky
- Craft Line Producer :
- Amalia Bradstreet
- Director of Photography :
- Dave Waldron
- Camera Operator :
- Carrie Cheek
- 1st AC :
- Kimberlee Venable
- 2nd AC :
- Georgia Krause
- Gaffer :
- Ray Richards
- Key Grip :
- Scott Ray
- Sound Mixer :
- Tyler Postiglione
- Sound Mixer :
- Tim Race
- Hair/Make-Up Artist :
- Jacqueline Helene
- Executive Vice President, North America Marketing & Communications :
- Cheryl Guerin
- Senior Vice President, North America Communications :
- Jim Issokson
- Senior Vice President, North America Consumer Marketing & Sponsorships :
- Seema Chibber
- Vice President, North America Communications :
- Sarah Ely
- Director, North America Consumer Marketing :
- Anthony DeRojas
- Director, North America Digital & Social Marketing :
- Gregg Weiss
- Director, North America Media Planning :
- Christine Lustig
- Manager, North America Consumer Marketing :
- Kellen Burger
- Manager, North America Media Planning :
- Tara McKenna
- Senior Specialist, North America Sponsorships :
- Marisa Bianchi
- Senior Specialist, North America Communications :
- Margaret Curran
- Specialist, North America Digital & Social Communications :
- Chanelle Lowe
- Specialist, North America Communications :
- Harshana Badlani
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