This was a pretty bold and groundbreaking episode of All In The Family, in terms of its subject matter -- as of 1971, which was a year before the TV movie That Certain Summer, apart from some very dated news exposes, the presence of homosexuality on prime-time network television had been limited to a few crime shows, such as N.Y.P.D. (which, three-and-a-half years before this episode, had made its debut with a show entitled "Shakedown," about a ring targeting gay men for blackmail); and even then, those shows had come in for harsh criticism for broaching the subject. And here was All In The Family not only bringing the subject into a comedic setting, but presenting the subject itself for actual discussion by the characters. Maybe the discussion isn't too deep or insightful -- the word "fag" is used a couple of times by Archie (Carroll O'Connor), while Archie's more tolerant wife Edith (Jean Stapleton) uses the word "flower." But at least it was there -- and although no one outside of the White House knew it at the time, the episode struck a nerve with President Richard M. Nixon, who chanced to see the episode. As can now be heard on one of the released White House tapes, the president was sufficiently incensed by the show to take a discussion with chief aides H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman about political strategy off on a tangent concerning homosexuality -- one can listen to the "leader of the free world" expound to his two closest advisors (who agree with him straight down the line) about his outrage over the fact that the show was "glorifying" homosexuality. The dialogue, which can be read in transcriptions (and is quoted in articles) or heard verbatim on Youtube.com, is funnier and more unintentionally surreal than anything the series ever put on the air.