The Iowa chapter of The Satanic Temple filed a formal complaint Tuesday, accusing state officials of religious discrimination after being denied access to the state Capitol for a holiday display and event scheduled for December 2024.
The dispute follows a 2023 incident that garnered national attention when a man from Mississippi destroyed the group’s Capitol display, which featured a horned deity figure known as Baphomet. The display had been permitted alongside a Christmas tree and other religious holiday decorations in the Capitol rotunda.
This year, officials rejected the group’s request for a similar event, a decision the organization claims violates its members’ constitutional rights as well as Iowa’s civil rights law.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds defended the denial in a statement, saying Capitol policies aim to protect children and families who regularly visit the public building. “This satanic event, which was specifically directed at children, would have been harmful to minors and was therefore denied,” Reynolds said.
A request for comment was left with the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, which oversees public use of Capitol space and is led by Director Adam Steen — also named in the complaint.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Iowa filed the complaint on behalf of Mortimer Adramelech, minister of the local Satanic Temple congregation. ACLU Legal Director Rita Bettis Austen stated that filing with the Iowa Civil Rights Office is a necessary first step before a formal discrimination lawsuit can be brought in court. The organization hopes the complaint will prompt state officials to reverse course.
In April, the ACLU also filed a separate lawsuit against the governor’s office, accusing it of censoring or withholding public records related to the Satanic Temple’s event, citing executive privilege.
Founded in 2013 and based in Salem, Massachusetts, The Satanic Temple describes itself as a non-theistic religious organization that advocates for secularism. It does not believe in or worship Satan and is unaffiliated with the Church of Satan, which was established in the 1960s.
According to the complaint, Steen justified the denial by expressing concerns about costumes proposed for the event that included sticks, which he said “could be used as weapons against children” and “position the event as harmful to minors.” The group called these concerns “absurd and unfounded,” asserting that their request clearly stated the event would be family-friendly.
Open records obtained by the organization allegedly show that the governor’s office and Steen were actively coordinating a response at the time.
“The simple truth is that the State of Iowa does not want to grant Satanists the same access to the Iowa State Capitol that it provides to other ‘mainstream’ religions — especially Christianity — and particularly during the holiday season,” the complaint concludes.
