LGBTQ+ group backs Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for Senate over lesbian Rep. Angie Craig

The Christopher Street Project has endorsed Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in the state’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary, choosing a longtime LGBTQ+ ally over lesbian Rep. Angie Craig.The national political organization that supports pro-trans rights candidates said its decision rested in part on Craig’s failure to co-sponsor the Trans Bill of Rights, along with Flanagan’s support from transgender and queer leaders in Minnesota.“The congresswoman has yet to sign on to that bill, and that for us is a pretty clear line,” Tyler Hack, the Christopher Street Project’s executive director, told The Advocate.Related: Lesbian Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig launches historic U.S. Senate bidHack said Flanagan has committed to supporting the legislation and helping organize other Democrats around transgender protections.“We need folks who will organize alongside us, who will build a Democratic caucus that is unapologetically pro-trans and will work with us on the ground,” they said. “That’s what we’re seeing with the lieutenant governor.”The endorsement gives Flanagan a notable LGBTQ+ ally in a race where Craig has already secured support from some of the movement’s most recognizable figures.Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that established nationwide marriage equality, endorsed Craig earlier this year. Craig has also received support from the Human Rights Campaign, Equality PAC, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin.That divide has made the Minnesota primary an unusually clear test of competing ideas about LGBTQ+ political power. Craig can point to the historic significance of her candidacy and a long record of supporting LGBTQ+ legislation. The Christopher Street Project is arguing that identity alone does not settle the question.Hack said the organization was guided by support for Flanagan among Minnesota LGBTQ+ leaders, including OutFront Minnesota Action and state Rep. L