checked in the little car and went aboard the SS France. My European Oddessey was at an end. The ship slipped into the dark waters of Southampton harbor at 11 p.m. on a Friday night.

Aug. 15, 16, 17, and 18. We were at sea these days. I had a single cab- in and no problems. The ship was like a big horizontal Hilton hotel. I found ways of investigating the 1st class section (trust Virginia for that) even though I was traveling tourist. There was nothing of great import during the trip except on the last day. At noon I was asked about what I was going to do after getting back to the USA and I replied that I had some 22 radio and TV performances to give. This raised the issues of why and what. Lunch was almost over and I told my table mates that it was quite a story and too long for lunch but that I would tell them about it at dinner that night. We sat at the same table for lunch and dinner each of the 4 days so we got to know each other pretty well.

At dinner they again asked me what I was referring to at lunch and had promised to tell them. So I said well, I'll be glad to relate the story but that I asked them not to discuss it with others on the ship though I didn't care whom they talked with after they were ashore. They all agreed and so I said, “Well, its this way, all the people on this side of the table are males" (there were men on each side of me). One woman thought I was trying to kid one of the fellows that I'd been trading gags with during the trip and nearly went into hysterics at this develop- ment. But when she had calmed down I persuaded them that I meant what I said, explained the circumstances and explained the appearances and the talks about sex and gender etc. There were maybe a dozen in- terested questions all told when the conversation shifted to what time we were to land and what about customs etc. I was dropped. Later in the lounge I sat with the girl who had laughed so hard and commented about the lack of questions or concern. She said, "Well Virginia, we have accepted you as a woman for 4 days and that's what you are to us. The rest of your life is your own." This provided an excellent example of what I have so often said-if you accept yourself fully and present yourself that way to others they will also accept you and so they had.

Aug. 19. Getting ready for going ashore we had to go through cus- toms and passport clearance. When I presented my passport the man looked at it then at me then at it and finally said, “Are you Charles too?" I said I was and he shook his head in disbelief and said, “you could have fooled me," stamped the passport and handed it to me. I said that I wasn't trying to fool anybody that I was just me. He smiled

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