Protesters descended on the Republican-controlled North Carolina General Assembly this week to object to the legislature’s actions limiting the next governor’s power before he even takes office, reports the Associated Press.

Frantically saving himself from the rat-a-tat of queries from skeptical black journalists at a rushed “off record” session at the GOP headquarters months ago, Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus dropped the only mic he could think of to shut up the crowd: “I used to work for the NAACP Legal Defense…

I was excited. I thought they were taking a meaningful stand at a very important time for trans folks and queer folks,” says Ashley Williams, 23.