# Oliver's Friend (Steve) in Olliver Beene: Gay or Not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 9, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivers-friend-steve-in-olliver-beene-gay-or-not/180631 "2003-06-09T12:49:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivers-friend-steve-in-olliver-beene-gay-or-not/180631/1 "2003-06-09T12:49:34Z")
In _Oliver Beene_, Oliver has a friend who has all these stereotypically “gay” characterstics. He’s kind-of effeminate; he’s been known to wear make-up; and his clothes are _fabulous_ (especially when he wears neckerchiefs). Also, there are other subtle “gay” references that slip in from time to time; for example: in last night’s episode (a re-run I hadn’t seen before) Oliver & Co. were being menaced by a crazed neighbor, and they all thought they were going to die. Steve says, “But… but… I’ve never been to San Francisco!” :: rimshot :: However, I always thought his “gay” tendencies were all part of the overall joke that he’s NOT gay and just looks & acts that way. I even recall an episode where his dad finds out that he and Oliver had found a porn magazine. The dad asks Steve, “Do you _like_ looking at pictures like this?” Steve shamefully hangs his head and mumbles “[sub]yes[/sub].” The dad then drops to his knees, exclaims “Thank you Jesus!” and gives the lad a big hug while the Hallelujah Chorus plays. But then on last night’s episode there was one of those cutaway scenes that shows life nowadays. The caption says “Steve at 41” and shows him holding hands with another guy and talking about the baby they just adopted from China. I’m not clear if this cutaway scene was supposed to be the REAL present or Oliver’s imagination of the future. So what’s the scoop? Is Steve gay or not? * * * BTW, _Oliver Beene_ fans: did you know that the actress who plays Joyce is the same actress that played the creepy girl Samarra from _The Ring_? Daveigh Chase. I just noticed this for the first time last night. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Vixenation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/278dde/32.png) [@Vixenation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vixenation)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivers-friend-steve-in-olliver-beene-gay-or-not/180631/2 "2003-06-09T13:14:57Z")
I’m not sure, but for the first time I realized that Oliver’s older brother is played by Andy Lawrence, younger brother of the heartthrob Joey Lawrence! I only realized it because I had been watching a Disney movie featuring Andy earlier yesterday, and finally noticed the similarities. ---
**Author:** ![Vixenation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/278dde/32.png) [@Vixenation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vixenation)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivers-friend-steve-in-olliver-beene-gay-or-not/180631/3 "2003-06-09T13:18:47Z")
Daveigh Chase also played Lilo in _Lilo and Stitch_! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivers-friend-steve-in-olliver-beene-gay-or-not/180631/4 "2003-06-09T13:36:04Z")
What channel is this program on? I’ve never seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@Mr\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivers-friend-steve-in-olliver-beene-gay-or-not/180631/5 "2003-06-09T13:43:53Z")
Isn’t his name Michael? If you google “Oliver Beene” and “gay” you get a lot of gay sites claiming him as “their own”. Check out [this](http://www.advocate.com/html/stories/886/886_beene.asp) article: Casting an 11-year-old character with camp mannerisms and gay tendencies brought a set of issues all its own. “Parents of other child actors didn’t want their sons to do the part, but Taylor’s parents have been very involved, and while there are elements that are tough to talk to him about, **he is fully aware that Michael grows up to be gay** ,” says Levitan. “He’s very natural in the part, and he doesn’t posture.” ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivers-friend-steve-in-olliver-beene-gay-or-not/180631/6 "2003-06-09T16:27:23Z")
As I recall in the first episode of the show (or the first episode where the character appears) the narrator of the show (who is telling the story from the present day a’la Daniel Stern in Wonder Years) either says right out that he turns out gay or implies it so strongly that it is impossible to miss. ---
**Author:** ![TigoleBitties](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cab0a1/32.png) [@TigoleBitties](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TigoleBitties)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivers-friend-steve-in-olliver-beene-gay-or-not/180631/7 "2003-06-09T16:44:59Z")
They did a flash forward to him in the future showing him with his partner and how he was so happy to be a mother (They adopted a little Asian girl). So to the OP question, I would say he is and is easily orbiting “Liberace gay” ---
**Author:** ![TigoleBitties](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cab0a1/32.png) [@TigoleBitties](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TigoleBitties)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivers-friend-steve-in-olliver-beene-gay-or-not/180631/8 "2003-06-09T16:46:49Z")
Whoops…I cut some out there What I meant was "When they did a flash forward to him in the future showing him with his partner and how he was so happy to be a mother, I was pretty sure he was showing the real future. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivers-friend-steve-in-olliver-beene-gay-or-not/180631/9 "2003-06-09T19:59:47Z")
As Ranier Wolfcastle said in _McBain: Let’s Get Silly!_, “that’s the joke.” There are jokes like the ones mentioned in the OP, and some others as well. Such as one episode where he compares a hunky student to Rock Hudson. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivers-friend-steve-in-olliver-beene-gay-or-not/180631/10 "2003-06-09T22:41:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kalhoun \* > \*\*What channel is this program on? I’ve never seen it. \*\* Fox, Sunday nights at 8:00 Central Time. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivers-friend-steve-in-olliver-beene-gay-or-not/180631/11 "2003-06-10T00:24:02Z")
I saw it last night, including the fast forward to the future with the partner and the asian baby. What an offensive, stereotypical pile of crap.