In 2015, America saw the normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations, a brand-new House Speaker, a whopping 17 people declare their candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, and a Bush and a Clinton once again enter the race for the White House. “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,” President Obama said during his sixth State of the Union address in January 2015. Obama that night became the first US Head of State to mention "lesbian," "bisexual" and "transgender" in such a high profile speech, CNN reported.