and resulted in Erickson being blacklisted from jobs.

Unable to find work as a female engineer, Erickson and his partner moved to Baton Rouge, where he resumed working in the family business. He started an independent company, Southern Seating, making stadium bleachers. During this time Erickson was described as "looking masculine" due to his short hair and tailored clothes. He had begun cross-dressing when travelling outside of Baton Rouge and in the late 1950s he claimed he had travelled to Casablanca