Hundreds of drag queens and supporters marched on the steps of the Florida Statehouse on Tuesday to protest recent efforts by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Republican Party to curb LGBTQ+ rights.

The 1 p.m. rally and subsequent march, organized by Orlando activist and entertainer Darcel Stevens, was condemned by a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the Sunshine State, including bills that censor drag performances, ban gender-affirming medical services for minors. and to ban transgender athletes from participating in sports teams that match their gender identity, among dozens of others.

LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Florida this month it got to the point of being advised not to travel to the state, saying it was no longer safe for their community.

Newsweek reached out to DeSantis via email for comment.

Florida is part of a national right-wing movement to limit inclusion and access to gender-affirming health care, with more than two dozen states making such proposals.

Equality Florida spokesman Brandon Wolf said more than 300 people responded to an invitation to attend Tuesday’s events. Newsweek in a telephone interview that evening. Wolf says the protests will continue to draw attention to this governor’s “program of hate and bigotry.”

The group chanted phrases such as “drag is not a crime” and “Ron DeSantis has to go” during what Wolf says is “the biggest drag in Tallahassee” in the state’s history. He called Tuesday’s turnout a testament to the strength of the community and its desire to fight for a better future for Florida residents. He criticized DeSantis, saying that parents should have the right to decide what is best for their children and should not be “co-parenting” with a conservative.

For a state that values ​​individual freedoms, Wolf says, Florida is doing the opposite, banning books, gender identity, access to healthcare and more. He said true freedom would allow the LBGTQ+ community to be “their own, respected and worthy”.

“The last thing I want is for the nightmare that Ron DeSantis made in Florida to become the property of the whole country,” Wolf said.

Carlos Guillermo Smith, who participated in Tuesday’s events in Tallahassee, served six years in the state House of Representatives as Florida’s first openly pro-LGBTQ+ Hispanic legislator. He is currently running for the State Senate. Lawmakers are pushing forward more than 20 bills targeting the LGBTQ+ community, Smith said. Newsweek in a phone interview on Tuesday.

Smith criticized lawmakers, saying they deliberately use vague language in many bills “to create fear” and have free rein to “censor” Florida residents.

“This law is completely out of control,” he said. “They’re connected to Gov. Ron DeSantis and his extremist plans, and people are fighting back.”

DeSantis is expected to challenge former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential primary.