Essay on LGBTQ Youth The Endless Strife - 1362 Words

Rudy Estrada and Rob Woronoff wrote of the following statement made by an adolescent during the 2002 Regional Listening Forum for LGBTQ youth: I realized that being gay is not my problem. It’s their problem. I see it as a social disease. I try not to get involved in negative communities. But I do try to teach them. 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 nearly all tribulations surrounding the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning community. Education is a way to eradicate the ignorance. It is also the government’s responsibility to assist the LGBTQ community. In order to combat homelessness, parental abandonment,†¦show more content†¦These youths, especially those from the LGBTQ community, live a life filled with substance abuse and survival sex. Beyond that, 70 percent of the participants in the study stated conflicts with their parents were important contributors to their decision to leave home (1-2). â€Å"Helping LGBTQ Youth Transition to Adulthood depicts organizations such as Green Chimneys and One Heartland that exist to provide safe environments for LGBTQ youth. Green Chimneys is centered in New York and focuses on homeless adolescents (3). One Heartland, as told on their website, is an organization with the vision of â€Å"a world where everyone feels appreciated, c elebrated, and free of stigma and discrimination.† It values education and diversity (â€Å"Mission, Vision, and Values†). The government’s responsibility is to find better living environments for those who have no home. LGBTQ teens cannot continue to be swept under the rug and forgotten. Homelessness can seem like a haven to the LGBTQ community, rather than facing the misunderstanding in their homes (â€Å"Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender HeathNew† 2). Teenagers can be put into the child welfare system. As discussed in an article by Jill Jacobs and Madelyn Freundlich, ordinarily the goal is to find homes for minors (300). In the case of LGBTQ youth, the adolescents are usually entered into the foster