Rudy Estrada and Rob Woronoff wrote about the following statement made by a teenager at the 2002 Regional LGBTQ Youth Listening Forum: I realized that being gay is not a my problem. It's their problem. I see it as a social disease. I try not to get involved in negative communities. But I try to teach him. I'd rather teach them than ignore them. Otherwise the ignorance will continue and nothing will ever be done about it. (380) Ignorance is the root of almost all tribulations surrounding the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community. Education is a way to eradicate ignorance. It is also the government's responsibility to assist the LGBTQ community. To combat homelessness, parental abandonment, and social discrimination prevalent in the lives of young LGBTQ Americans, the federal government should fund programs tailored to raise public awareness of the plight of these individuals. According to the Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, gay means one who desires someone of the same sex, the specific feminine form being lesbian (“Gay”). Bisexual is someone who desires people of both their own and the opposite gender (“Bisexual”). Transgender describes an individual who has changed his or her gender (“Transgender”). Questioning means individuals who know they are not heterosexual but cannot label themselves as one orientation (“Questioning”). Males and females suffer the unnecessary consequences of their choice to reveal their sexuality. The rise from youth to adulthood is full of obstacles for these individuals. One of the most significant barriers is the rate of homelessness among LGBTQ individuals during adolescence. Homelessness, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistant...... center of document ......uth. Child Welfare League of America, nd Web. March 17, 2014."Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender HealthNews." Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. March 17, 2014. “McKinney-Vento Act.” McKinney-Vento Law. National Coalition for the Homeless, June 2006. Web. March 30, 2014."Mission, Vision, and Values." A heart. A Heartland and the Web. March 30, 2014. "Overview of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997." Government of Nebraska. Np, nd Web. March 30, 2014. “Preventing Youth Hate Crime.” Justice.gov. U.S. Department of Education, n.d. Web. March 17, 2014."Question." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random. March 27, 2014."Transgender." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random. March 27, 2014. “Transition to Adulthood.” Transition to adulthood | FindYouthInfo. Find information about young people, October 18, 2013. Web. March 17. 2014.