Peter Thiel makes history at RNC by declaring 'I am proud to be gay'

Tech billionaire Peter Thiel told the Republican National Convention he is "proud to be gay," making history as the first speaker in the party's history to do so at an RNC.

The crowd gave Thiel a rousing standing ovation after identifying himself as a member of the LGBT community. "Of course, every American has a unique identity," Thiel said. "I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all I am proud to be an American."

The PayPal co-founder said he may not "agree with every plank in our party's platform," referring to the lack of same-sex marriage support within the Republican party platform. However Thiel said "fake culture wars" are distracting the country from economic issues.

See reaction to Thiel's speech:

Thiel also took a swipe at transgender bathroom laws, saying "now we are told that the great debate is about who gets to use which bathroom."

While the majority of Americans support same-sex marriage, the GOP has been reluctant to fully embrace LGBT issues. The Republican National Committee released its final party platform on Monday, which featured a rebuttal to gay marriage that reads, "Traditional marriage and family, based on marriage between one man and one woman, is the foundation for a free society and has for millennia been entrusted with rearing children and instilling cultural values."

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"While it is fitting to talk about who we are, today it's even more important to remember where we came from. For me that is Cleveland, and the bright future it promised," Thiel said.

Last year it was revealed Thiel had been secretly funding Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker, a site that had previously outed the tech billionaire as being gay.

BY: WILLIAM STEAKIN

Click through images from the RNC: