The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Iowa has filed a complaint against the state of Iowa because the Reynold’s administration refused to allow it to hold an event at the capitol building.
Join the fight to preserve our community by becoming a monthly donor today.
The Satanic Temple is a pseudo-religious organization that subverts traditional imagery to mock Christianity and protest religious expression in public spaces.
In December of last year, the group attempted to host an event at the state capitol. The event was originally planned to “commemorate” the one-year anniversary of the destruction of a pagan idol that the group had set up in the State Capitol in 2023. Officials rejected the application.
Gov. Kim Reynolds said that the event violated the capitol building policies. She stated,
The Iowa State Capitol Complex is a place that is open to the public, where children and families routinely visit…Because of this, the state’s event policy takes into consideration conduct that would be harmful to minors. This satanic event, which specifically targets children, is harmful to minors and so it was denied.
The ACLU says it filed the complaint with the Iowa Office of Civil Rights. The complaint is against the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, its director, and the Iowa governor’s office.
As an anti-religion organization, The Satanic Temple is not protected by freedom of religion laws. However, there is still a legal question about their freedom of speech in this situation.
Leave a Reply