{"podcast":{"title":"40 Plus: Gay Men. Gay Talk.","slug":"40-plus-gay-men-gay-talk-912616","podcast_index_feed_id":912616,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/fortyplus/","website_url":"https://rickclemons.com","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/4ad7a7a6-b0f8-4cca-8d2b-3dd33fbcedc3/P6JHFhYg6teBJviuvlKAJHwo.jpg","author":"Rick Clemons","episode_count":300,"summary":"Welcome to the only podcast exploring the messiness, awesomeness, of masculinity of being a gay man over 40. Each episode is about sparking idea, addressing challenges, and diving deep into what it looks like to be a vulnerable gay guy. We talk about the stuff us gay guys have a hard time talking about, man-to-man: masculinity, sex, careers, our bodies, parenting, sexuality, failures, success, and aging, relationships, coming out - nothing is off limits. 40 Plus: Gay Men Gay Talk is the revamped version of 40 Plus: Real Men. Real Talk podcast and is a short format podcast that's easy to digest. We take deep dives - one topic at a time - digging up the truth of what it’s like to be a gay man, instead of some contrived expectation of masculinity. We’re reclaiming manhood and our masculinity by facing our fears, making bold moves, and living life without apologies. Join us, but you've got to drop your BS, forget posturing, and be ready to explore the comical dysfunctions of our lives as gay men 40+ years of age!","last_synced_at":"2026-07-10T20:20:08.590521+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/40-plus-gay-men-gay-talk-912616"},"episode":{"title":"He Was HIV Positive and Ran Toward Ground Zero Anyway: Neil Adams on Michael Dorian and the Story That Would Not Stay Untold","slug":"he-was-hiv-positive-and-ran-toward-ground-zero-anyway-neil-adams-on-michael-dorian-and-the-story-that-would-not-stay-untold","published_at":"2026-06-05T10:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/40-plus-gay-men-gay-talk-912616/he-was-hiv-positive-and-ran-toward-ground-zero-anyway-neil-adams-on-michael-dorian-and-the-story-that-would-not-stay-untold","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/40-plus-gay-men-gay-talk-912616","url":"https://rickclemons.com/40-gay-men-gay-talk/384-neil-adams","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/b82aa4e4-72a4-47f8-a6f9-aaf7947d7b71.mp3","summary":"On September 11, 2001, a gay man living with HIV made a decision that had nothing to do with self-preservation. He ran toward the World Trade Center and spent 24 hours in the pile. Neil Adams met Michael Dorian in New York in the early 1990s and their friendship lasted nearly 30 years. Now he has written the book Michael asked him to write. From the Pile is a debut biography that covers Michael's childhood in poverty, his HIV diagnosis at 16, his life built on compassion, and the choice he made on the worst day in modern American history. This episode is about what it means to show up when it costs you everything. Key Takeaways: Who Michael Dorian was before 9/11 and what shaped his decision to respond What it meant for an immunocompromised man to spend 24 hours at Ground Zero How a decades-long friendship between two gay men became the foundation of a book What Neil learned about compassion, empathy, and showing up from a man younger than himself Why Michael's story was featured in a New York Emmy-winning profile and Spike Lee's 9/11 documentary What this story says about the older gay male community and the conversations we are not having About Neil He knew he was gay, but dated girls, trying to live up to his parents’ expectations. Against their wishes, he majored in Drama in college, where he continued to wrestle with his sexuality while staying committed to performing. After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, knowing he needed to come out in order to be his authentic self. In Los Angeles, he performed in plays and nightclubs and began writing comedy. A job later took him to New York on tour, and he stayed, living the actor’s life until he met Michael, which changed everything. After returning to California broke and moving back home, he left act…","meta_description":"On September 11, 2001, a gay man living with HIV made a decision that had nothing to do with self-preservation. He ran toward the World Trade Center and s…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2893,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/40-plus-gay-men-gay-talk-912616/episodes/he-was-hiv-positive-and-ran-toward-ground-zero-anyway-neil-adams-on-michael-dorian-and-the-story-that-would-not-stay-untold/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/40-plus-gay-men-gay-talk-912616/he-was-hiv-positive-and-ran-toward-ground-zero-anyway-neil-adams-on-michael-dorian-and-the-story-that-would-not-stay-untold.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}