Kitchen Table Talk: Episode 40

Today we have some good wisdom from Pete Buttigieg on the way forward into 2026, the deets on a live on tracker for anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the works in your home state, a Latino Pride event coming up soon in Arizona, and how we can protect ourselves from HPV and the cancers it can cause.

DAILY MEME: Hope is the consequence of action more than its cause - Pete Buttigieg

* Time to get busy to put a stop to the destruction of our country and way of life

* Get involved locally and be a part of the cause to stop, replace, and rebuild

* Electing Democrats this fall is our number 1 priority. A majority in Congress is our best chance and putting the brakes on the Red Hat agenda.

Great Red Hat Shit Show: LGBTQ+ Legislative Tracking 2026 - LGBTQ+ Legislation Alerts

Following up on our daily meme and it’s message all of us can keep tabs on what’s happening in our own backyards relative to legislation that can affect our community directly on the local level.

There are a number of states in particular where the legislators and governors are hellbent to take advantage of their majorities and their perceived permission structure from the folks to attack LGBTQ+ rights, healthcare, and over social safety net programs.

LGBTQ+ Legislative Research Group which is an independent group of LGBTQ+ researchers, journalists, and activists has assembled a live tracker of active legislation in play in various states that can inform you on what’s in the works locally, so you can be informed and take action.

You can log onto their website at legialerts.org and follow the links to find the live Google Docs that are updated daily on the status of pending bills, across the country in your home state. First I want to thank them for their hard work, and thank you for using it to take action where needed.

There website is on the screen if you’re watching us on YouTube, and can be found in the show notes wherever else you might be listening.

Health: HPV Vaccine Important Consideration For Sexually Active Gay Men

For those of us who are sexually active regardless of sexual identity, the human papilloma virus (HPV) is not only very common, but can present a significant health risk. HPV is known for being the primary cause of genital warts and several types of cancer, including cervical, anal, vulvar, vaginal, penile and oropharyngeal (throat), which includes cancer of the tonsils and back of the tongue.

Nearly 80% of men and women get HPV at some point in our lives, mainly through intimate contact.

For men having sex with men, HPV presents an elevated risk because of the nature and mechanics of our sexual contact. Those of us living with HIV and/or who have multiple sex partners are at an even higher risk of contracting HPV and its associated cancers.

The good news is that there is an available vaccine that is highly effective to protect against HPV and its ability to cause cancers. Today is is routine to give children and teenagers, even young adults the HPV vaccine. Most of us who are older than 30 may not have been given the vaccine as a normal routine and must opt in.

Young persons ages 13-26 who have not been vaccinated require 2 or 3 doses depending on age according to the CDC. If you are 27 45 you may discuss your risk factors with your healthcare provider to see if vaccination is the right option in which case most insurance will cover the medication and administration doses. If however you are over 45, most sources will tell you the vaccine is not recommended because we have already most likely been exposed to the virus at some point.

If however we are over 45 and have a compelling risk model like high sexual activity with multiple partners a provider may be willing to prescribe the vaccine. Most health insurance however will not cover it at over age 45, and it has to be paid for out of pocket.

It’s pretty expensive, ranging from about $200-400 per dosage, of which about three are required over a six month period. That means one has to want it bad enough to be able to pay $600-1200 for it.

As always, I recommend you talk to your medical provider and share with them your concerns and your risk factors and get their advice. I am not a doctor and I am not giving medical advice, just sharing about options available to us to protect ourselves.

Event: Tucson Latino Pride Festival – Saturday, March 7th 2026 - Lpfaz.com

Latino Pride Alliance is gearing up for their 2nd Annual Latino Pride Festival in Tuscon with the date coming up fast on Saturday, March 7th. The community gathering and celebration of LGBTQ friends and allies takes place at the MSA Annex near downtown Tucson at 267 South Avenida del Convento.

The celebration from 2-10 pm includes entertainment, vendor booths, community outreach and plenty of fun. Full information can be found and tickets are on sale now at their website lpfaz.com

As always you can scan our nationwide events calendar at our website growingoldergay.com and click on the EVENTS tab. If you have an event you would like featured in our event calendar or even here on the podcast, send an email with the details to [email protected]

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