Showing results by narrator "Steven Reigns" in All Categories

Outliving Michael centers on Steven Reigns’s friendship with Michael Church, who died of AIDS in 2000. It explores their intergenerational bond, mentorship in navigating gay life, life as an artist, and the lasting imprint of connection. This deeply personal collection addresses grief, influence, friendship, and the magic of certain people who change our lives.

In the early 1990s, eight people living in a small conservative Florida town alleged that Dr. David Acer, their dentist, infected them with HIV. David's gayness, along with his sickly appearance from his own AIDS-related illness, made him the perfect scapegoat and victim of mob mentality. In these early years of the AIDS epidemic, when transmission was little understood, and homophobia rampant, people like David were villainized. Accuser Kimberly Bergalis landed a People magazine cover story, while others went on talk shows and made front page news.