CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte transgender woman is one step closer to becoming who she’s wanted to be her whole life.

What You Need To Know

  • Madison Hiatt will have gender-affirming surgeries in August

  • She says Goodwill is the first place she's worked where she feels fully supported as a transgender woman

  • Goodwill is among several companies with inclusive polices for the LGBTQIA community — like American Airlines, Coca-Cola, Uber and Ikea

In just two months, Madison Hiatt will have a gender-affirming surgery, and she says for the first time in her career, she feels supported by her employer.

She is a pathways career navigator for Goodwill — helping locals find the career that suits them best. The company has approved paid time off for her surgery and formally changed her name in its system.

Hiatt says she’s known since she was 4 years old that she wanted to transition. 

“When I saw a girl, I saw how beautiful she was. I saw how smart, and how just incredible ladies were,” she said. “And all I knew was that I wanted to be like that, and I felt like I was like that.”

But her parents rejected her gender identity, kicking her out of their home at 11 years old, forcing her into foster care. She remembers their reaction vividly.

“If I was going to pursue the ‘lifestyle,’ that I was not welcome to be there anymore.” 

Then she put her personal desires aside when she became a parent.

“They were worth me giving up that part of my life for,” she said about her two children.

Now, 20 years later, Hiatt is part of a growing group of transgender people who undergo confirmation surgeries in the U.S., according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Surgeons saw a 14% increase in transgender women chest or breast augmentations in 2020.

Goodwill’s positive response to Hiatt's decision brought tears to her eyes.

“I spent literally the entire next two days working with a box of tissue, because I was crying so much,” she said.

Hiatt is also part of Goodwill’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts. On Thursday, she’ll speak on the company’s panel for Pride Month and share her story about her upcoming transition.

A University of Washington report shows several companies are on board with inclusive polices for the LGBTQIA community — like American Airlines, Coca-Cola, Uber and Ikea. According to the report, they all have some sort of health care package tailored to diverse groups and/or back related legislation.