How I Solved My Flying Problem...

By Linda Jensen

Then I thought I was in a real pickle. The public washrooms in the main concourses were way too crowded to try a transformation. So I wandered O'Hare in a slight panic. That's when I got lucky. In an out of the way concourse used by American Eagle I found two small washrooms that were vacant that Sunday night. Still how does one go in to the Ladies' en femme and come out a man?

It might not always work but here's what I did: Enter as any woman would and head straight for a toilet stall, take off femme outer clothes and breast forms and replace with jeans and a sweatshirt.

I then wiped off the most obvious make up (I wasn't wearing much anyway) and packed up. While all this was going on a couple of cleaning ladies came in and started to work. I waited until they were busy in other stalls then I headed straight for the door.

The cleaners didn't see me and there was no one else in the washroom. However I could hear people in the concourse so at the door I turned around and walked out backward and looked at the sign as if I had just accidentally walked into the wrong room. Then it was an easy matter to go to the Mens' room and wash off the remnants of makeup.

I made it to the continuing flight to Montreal and found the wisdom of my decision to change in Chicago as there were two couples I knew well on the next flight.

Customs passed me quikly through - nobody likes to work late. My lady friend and her teenage daughter were at the airport to meet me. Luckily, I didn't have to rummage through my bags to find their gifts. The flight to Montreal was definitely anti-climatic.