SOTU Contained This Word for the First Time

'Transgender' gets its first mention—as do quite a few other words
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 21, 2015 11:04 AM CST
SOTU Contained This Word for the First Time
President Barack Obama signs autographs after delivering his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, on Capitol Hill in Washington.   (AP Photo/Mandel Ngan, Pool)

Speaking before Congress last night, President Obama uttered quite a few words never before heard in a State of the Union address. Among the most significant was "transgender"—as in, "we … condemn the persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender." Neither "lesbian" nor "bisexual" had ever been spoken in previous such speeches, either, Time reports. Meanwhile, BuzzFeed lists a number of other words new to the address, some of which—like "super-rich" and "stereotype"—might be seen as indicators of the political and cultural moment. The president also mentioned Instagram, though definitely not in relation to this story. (More President Obama stories.)

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