This past Tuesday night, President Barack Obama made history by becoming the first president to say the words "lesbian," "bisexual," and "transgender" in his State of the Union Address. According to CNN, he issued a call for the protection of individuals of any sexual orientation.

He stated, "As Americans, we respect human dignity, even when we're threatened, which is why I've prohibited torture, and worked to make sure our use of new technology like drones is properly constrained."

He continued, "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. We do these things not only because they're right, but because they make us safer."

This year in particular has raised unprecedented awareness of the transgender community, causing some to wonder if American culture has reached the "transgender tipping point." For example, actress Laverne Fox of "Orange is the New Black" popularly defied gender stereotypes, and made a speech identifying herself as "a proud, African-American transgender woman."

President Obama has also shown support for gay marriage. According to AOL, he tweeted late in his address the hashtag #LoveIsLove and encouraged more states to legalize same-sex marriage.

He has also called gay marriage a "civil right," stating, "I've seen something like gay marriage go from a wedge issue used to drive us apart to a story of freedom across our country, a civil right now legal in states that 7-in-10 Americans call home."

CNN reports that last year he signed an executive order extending protection against discrimination in the workplace for gay and transgender workers in the federal government.

Read the full text of Obama's 2015 State of the Union Address here.