Never before has a US President used the words "transgender", "lesbian" or "bisexual" in a State of the Union address: until today.
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In Washington DC, Barack Obama used the terms for the first time in history in a section of the widely broadcasted speech where he called on Americans to continue to "respect human dignity".
"That's why we defend free speech, and advocate for political prisoners, and condemn the persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender," Obama announced.
"We do these things not only because they're right, but because they make us safer."
Pres. Obama condemns the persecution of transgender Americans during
#SOTU2015 address - WATCH:
https://t.co/gQJjcDfcz7 — ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics)
January 21, 2015
Onlookers took to Twitter in droves to highlight transgender's advance into the President's State of the Union lexicon.
Although gotta say, happy to hear the words "transgender," "abortion," and "Ferguson" in the
#SOTU. — Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic)
January 21, 2015
Pointing out the rapid change in industry and the advent of technology, Obama also mentioned "Instagram" and "eBay" in his address for the first time, alongside "Beijing", "Putin" and "super rich".
