The movie is based on a true legal case in which a lesbian mother fought for custody of her children against her ex-husband who claimed her lifestyle was immoral.

The film stars Gena Rowlands and Jane Alexander as the lesbian couple, Clu Gulager as the ex-husband, with Ned Beatty and Bonnie Bedelia as the custody lawyers.

Even with all the bad deeds exposed about Linda's ex-husband, the ensuing legal battle boiled down to whether an environment with two homosexual parents is healthy for children.

Ginny Vida, media director of the task force, requested the meeting after a recent TV episode that aired on ABC had portrayed a lesbian in a negative light.

[3] John J. O'Connor's review in The New York Times was positive, he said the movie "is a serious exploration of a complex issue ... it also avoids cheap sensationalizing..is provocative and, finally, very moving."

He praised Rowlands' performance as "marvelously strong and vulnerable ... determined, miserable and elated", and was equally pleased with Alexander's acting, calling it "direct and unaffected, almost searingly on target.

"But it stopped short of siding with the lesbian mom, even though the film clearly wanted us to see that she was a good mother, living in a caring relationship with her lover that in all other ways resembled a conventional marriage.

The magazine criticized Rowlands' performance, stating bluntly that it "was the biggest disappointment ... badly miscast as the heroine ... lacked conviction and was an embarrassment ... her discomfort with the role was glaring".

[11] Forty-three years after pitching the project to ABC, Ginny Vida said that "even though it was a sad ending, millions of people saw this on TV, and audiences felt like this woman was a real victim of prejudice".