A well-known congresswoman is speaking at a conservative political group’s event in Huntsville on Saturday.

The Moms for Liberty’s Madison County chapter invited Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to speak at its second annual fundraiser dinner held at Brewers Cooperative at Stovehouse on June 28th.

Chapter Chair Emily Jones said the event is sold out.

“The level of interest reflects what we’re seeing across the state — people are hungry for strong leadership and open conversations about what’s really happening in our communities,” Jones said.

She said they wanted to bring Georgia’s 14th congressional representative because of her loud voice for their shared values.

“We invited Congresswoman Greene because she’s one of the most unapologetic voices in the country when it comes to defending faith, family, and freedom— three things our chapter believes are absolutely worth protecting,” Jones said. “She has been a consistent supporter of the Moms for Liberty mission at the national level, standing with parents who are speaking out against indoctrination, overreach, and the breakdown of trust in public education.”

Rep. Greene represents the most conservative district in Georgia, according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index. She has one of the lowest rates of joining bipartisan bills in the House of Representatives. She’s faced criticism from republican and democratic politicians for “endorsing violence against political opponents and for spreading health misinformation during the coronavirus pandemic,” according to an AL.com report.

Several opposing groups are organizing events in reaction to her appearance.

A counter-protest is scheduled just outside the event. The “MTG is not welcome in HSV” event is hosted by Huntsville 50501, a grassroots organization that organizes against Trump’s agenda and allies.

Nearby, several groups will host the “Marjorie Taylor Queens Book Drive” which includes a community fair, speakers and storytime hour. It’s led by Rainbow Trouble, whose mission is to create safe and accessible spaces for the queer community.

Rainbow Trouble vice president Erica Foster said they want to address Moms for Liberty’s attempt to restrict books at local libraries. Moms for Liberty has clashed with the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library over its methods of acquiring and considering books for its shelves. The national Moms for Liberty organization makes headlines by challenging books public libraries to block books that it deems sexually explicit, which often have LGBTQ+ or transgender themes.

Foster says this will be a multi-faceted event.

On Butler Green at Campus 805, there will be several organizations spreading awareness and resources in the community.

Then there will be speakers talking about their favorite books and their long-lasting impact. They will spotlight books like a 1960s young adult novel, “My Darling, My Hamburger,” to a 1970s classic, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”

At 6 p.m., they will change gears for a children’s storytime event. Leaders will read books like “It’s Pride, Baby” and “Worm Loves Worm,” the latter was objected to by a conservative group in Florida. They argued that it inappropriately subjected readers to an LGBTQ agenda.

This event is to fully stock The Diversity Library in Shenanigans Comedy Theater’s resource hub called The Center, co-founded by Jessica Cotton.

“The center is part of the Black Box Theater at Shenanigans Comedy Theater, it’s on the second floor,” said Cotton. “We offer resources, either online or in person. So people who come in and are looking for safe places for things they need, so they may come in for a resource, like they need to know a safe housing place. We will connect them with those resources.”

They’re slowly building out their library.

“They (Rainbow Trouble) came and said they would like for us to be the beneficiary (Of the ”Marjorie Taylor Queens” book drive), to receive all of the books that were donated,” said Cotton. “And we were ecstatic, and we are excited that they are spotlighting books about all kinds of people, because we know that seeing yourself in media is really helpful for accepting yourself in situations, whether that be mental health or LGBTQ or the color of your skin, just seeing yourself represented in media is really helpful. So we were super excited that they were highlighting that, because that’s really important.”

She wants to make sure these books are always accessible.

“We see that libraries and book bans are, you know, topics of conversation in our community, in our country, and we created the diversity library to make sure that people don’t have to worry about book bans,” said Cotton. “It is a private collection. It is not going to be regulated by anyone, and we are able to show every kind of diversity in order to make sure that people see themselves in media and feel accepted and like they’re part of this world. Because it takes every kind of person to make this world.”

Madison bookstore Blue Apple Bookstore and More is also assisting with the event. Workers curated an online shopping list to order a “challenged, restricted or LGBTQ+ affirming book” that could be donated to the event, according to owner Robin Duarma.

She said part of her mission as a bookstore owner is to support efforts related to literacy, creativity and curiosity. She says she supports parents’ rights to choose books for their young children. Plus, she says booksellers and librarians are trained in categorization methodologies that allow patrons to find age-appropriate books.

“Being uncomfortable with the content of a book is not a reason to make it harder for others to access that book,” Duarma said. “For me personally, with my almost 30 years in secondary education, I can assure you that young people are going to find the answers to their questions one way or another, so as a parent, educator, and business owner, I would much rather there be open and honest dialogue with young people about why a book might or might not be helpful to them. But keeping controversial books out of their hands does not usually have the effect that proponents of bans or restrictions think that it will.”

Foster is a parent herself. She says she worries that children won’t have access to reference books about their bodies, growing up and more and that could threaten the health and safety of children like her son.

“One of the biggest risk factors for children when dealing with adults who are potentially grooming them is not having the language to describe to other adults what’s happening,” Foster said. “Sometimes that’s the body, sometimes that’s talking about the actions that are happening. But if you steal this language from children, they can’t get help. And there are some very scary stories from advocates for children, of a child just not knowing the words and not being able to verbalize. I’m being victimized by an adult, and I need help.”

Jones says that she supports the right for anyone to use their First Amendment rights.

“We also believe parents have a right to question the types of materials being promoted to children in public spaces,“ said Jones. ”We don’t take issue with community service efforts — but we do believe the conversation around books in schools deserves more honesty and oversight.”