Transgender **************

I am a transgender female that is living full time as myself since the beginning of the year. I have 2 doctor's letters confirming that I have sufficiently transitioned on a psychological and physiological level to get my name and gender marker changed on my ID. I have everything I need to apply for my name and gender change at the department of home affairs.

So I tried to apply for a Woolworths store card online, which would not allow me to enter my gender as female after my ID number was used, but it did allow me to choose a title, which I chose to be miss. My previous name was Justin, and now it has changed to Justine. This is a very small adjustment, and based on my full names on my ID (which is Dirk Justinus) my previous name was a modified version of that anyway. So I entered my name as Justine. I was completely approved for my store card, until I got a message congratulating me that miss Brink has been approved for the card, and I have to phone in. So I phoned in, and after explaining my situation to the lady (Kauthar Williams) she told me that I have to redo the whole application under my full names and that she needed to delete this application.

What I do not understand is why I have to be ridiculed to be able to get a store card? If you have all my details including my proof of income, my ID, my address and my bank details as well as all other information you need to be able to know exactly who I am and where I stay, then why is it such a big threat to be able to ask for you to assist me with this? I just need to be able to pull out my card by the store and not be ridiculed when I do so. It will not be fitting at all if my card has to say Mr Dirk Justinus. All this will do is make me scared every single time I get to the front of the line where the cashier would see my details. This will make purchases a nightmare, because a cashier can just call me sir out loud, and it will leave me open for abuse.

Why am I not free to choose what I be addressed as and shown as on my card. You know exactly who I am and you have all my details. To me this seems to be ************** and it seems that instead of wanting to accommodate and help a paying customer, you are instead leaving me open to be abused by your staff every time I make a purchase.

Please can you either assist or respond. I will have to pursue things further if I have to to be able to not be abused. All I want is a safe shopping experience without being ridiculed. Why does this have to be such a big issue?

Thank you Justine Brink