288:
tells him she is a lesbian. After visiting his dad one weekend, he decides to live with him instead, and tells his father about his mother's relationship. Mike goes to court and files for full custody of both boys. His position is that her lifestyle is not in the boys' best interests. 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.
387:(working title), based on her case. The court scenes in the movie were excerpted from the original transcripts, the names were changed, and a family's happy home life was depicted. The project attracted many notable actors for the cast. ABC asked for dozens of script cuts, most of which were later retracted. ABC censors would not let Jane Alexander kiss Gena Rowlands' hand, instead Rowland was allowed to hold Alexander's hand to her cheek.
506:, who was a producer of the documentary, offered commentary. Alexander recalled that ABC had told her and Rowlands they were only allowed three touches and absolutely no kissing. So she asked Rowlands what is the best kind of touching you can have, and Rowlands replied; "I'm going to brush your hair in a way it's never been brushed before". Alexander said that scene turned out to be "very sensual".
40:
509:
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". However, it did give lesbians visibility in an unprecedented way, she said. Sykes said it
416:
wrote in 1996, "lesbians were a rare topic for TV drama in 1978", and the movie was considered a bold film. "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
461:
examines our attitudes toward homosexuality and finds them wanting. 'Why do they call it gay?' Rowlands murmurs. We begin to ask ourselves what right we have to demand that others live and think and behave and believe as we do. We are reminded that tyranny – even the tyranny of the majority – is
287:
Linda Ray
Guettner, a divorcée and nurse, is raising her sons without any help from their father, Mike Guettner. When she moves in with her lover, Barbara Moreland and her daughter, Linda's oldest son gets suspicious of the nature of their relationship. When he questions his mother about it, she
375:
department she wanted positive lesbian portrayals and wanted them "immediately". During the meeting she told them about Mary Jo Risher and Ann Forman, a lesbian couple in Texas, who had gone to court in a custody battle with Risher's ex-husband over their young son.
510:
was a "huge deal" for
Rowlands and Alexander to play these parts, and for these actresses to take on these roles "to tell our stories was pretty risky and big on their part, and what that story did was humanize these lesbians as real people".
441:... seemed at home in the role which was reflected in a superior performance". They also noted that the movie would have been better had Rowlands and Alexander reversed roles. Sheila O'Malley from
371:, 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. Vida told Richard Gitter of the network's
463:
276:
535:
251:. 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
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1015:
437:... her discomfort with the role was glaring". However, they praised Alexander in her role, saying she "did an outstanding job given the number of inadequacies surrounding her
1005:
476:
40 years ago when we did the movie, gay people had to fight very hard to prove they were going to be nurturing and responsible parents, and it continues to this day.
425:
said in comparison with the book, the "TV drama lacked impact". The magazine criticized
Rowlands' performance, stating bluntly that it "was the biggest disappointment
985:
408:... it also avoids cheap sensationalizing..is provocative and, finally, very moving." He praised Rowlands' performance as "marvelously strong and vulnerable
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412:... determined, miserable and elated", and was equally pleased with Alexander's acting, calling it "direct and unaffected, almost searingly on target."
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wrote in 2015 that the film was "incredibly bold for 1978, and it's an 'issue film' told with a lot of heart and humanity".
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Alternate
Channels: The Uncensored Story of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television
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about the representation of LGBT people in television. Jane
Alexander, Ginny Vida and
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was positive, he said the movie "is a serious exploration of a complex issue
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844:"Gay rights documentary 'Visible: Out on Television' deserves to be seen"
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522: – 2016 American documentary film directed by Mandi Wright
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By Her Own
Admission: A Lesbian Mother's Fight to Keep Her Son
381:
By Her Own
Admission: A Lesbian Mother’s Fight to Keep Her Son
271:
as the custody lawyers. It premiered on
November 26, 1978, on
581:
The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and
Lesbians on TV
737:"ABC's Two Mothers Based On Virginia Child Custody Case"
536:
List of made-for-television films with LGBT characters
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1978 television drama film directed by Jerry Thorpe
462:caused by fear." In 1979, it was nominated for a
379:By 1978, Risher had published her autobiography,
363:The movie evolved, in part, from a meeting that
474:
367:leaders had with ABC executives in March 1977.
433:... lacked conviction and was an embarrassment
681:Gibson, Gifford Guy; Risher, Mary Jo (1977).
8:
1016:American Broadcasting Company original films
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489:In February 2020, the movie was featured in
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277:Golden Globe Award for Best Television Film
1006:LGBTQ-related films based on actual events
38:
27:
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417:ways resembled a conventional marriage."
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541:Societal attitudes toward homosexuality
986:American LGBT-related television films
800:O'Malley, Sheila (November 23, 2015).
821:Kernan, Michael (November 25, 1978).
713:"TV View: The Preoccupation With Sex"
19:For the French television movie, see
7:
586:Applause Theatre & Cinema Books
877:, Ginny Vida (February 14, 2020).
842:Justin, Neal (February 14, 2020).
14:
429:... badly miscast as the heroine
991:American drama television films
802:"Gena Rowlands: A Life on Film"
1011:Films directed by Jerry Thorpe
1001:1970s LGBT-related drama films
762:"Mothers, TV Movie on Custody"
1:
457:offered his opinion, saying "
981:1970s English-language films
218:November 26, 1978
1032:
883:Visible: Out on Television
578:Tropiano, Stephen (2002).
492:Visible: Out on Television
483:Visible: Out on Television
275:, and was nominated for a
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760:Overton, Bridget (1979).
644:. pp. 145–147, 332.
37:
971:1978 LGBTQ-related films
747:Knight Ridder Newspapers
634:Capsuto, Steven (2000).
263:as the ex-husband, with
373:Standards and Practices
365:National Gay Task Force
259:as the lesbian couple,
21:Just a Question of Love
735:(September 21, 1996).
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996:Lesbian-related films
966:1978 television films
823:"Delicate 'Question'"
745:. Roanoke, Virginia.
711:(November 26, 1978).
561:"Question of Love, A"
385:A Purely Legal Matter
300:as Linda Ray Guettner
976:1970s American films
889:. 38:30 minutes in.
879:Television as a Tool
520:Accidental Activists
481:Jane Alexander,
828:The Washington Post
306:as Barbara Moreland
238:made-for-television
236:is a 1978 American
916:A Question of Love
905:A Question of Love
718:The New York Times
459:A Question of Love
401:The New York Times
391:Critical reception
233:A Question of Love
32:A Question of Love
709:O'Connor, John J.
694:978-0-385-12445-4
414:The Roanoke Times
354:as Mrs. Hunnicutt
336:as Dwayne Stabler
330:as Susan Moreland
324:as David Guettner
318:as Billy Guettner
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139:Original language
131:Country of origin
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961:1978 drama films
937:Risher v. Risher
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359:Production notes
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312:as Mike Guettner
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871:Wanda Sykes
526:Lesbophobia
504:Wanda Sykes
497:documentary
310:Clu Gulager
261:Clu Gulager
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65:Directed by
956:1978 films
950:Categories
604:2002003220
547:References
500:miniseries
369:Ginny Vida
334:Ned Beatty
322:Josh Albee
265:Ned Beatty
241:drama film
222:1978-11-26
195:98 minutes
147:Production
112:Josh Albee
92:Ned Beatty
55:Written by
50:True story
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495:, a
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