DES MOINES, Iowa — The Satanic Temple Iowa on Tuesday filed a complaint accusing state officials of discriminating against the group because of its members' religion, having denied them access to the state Capitol building for a December holiday display and event.
The group's holiday observances garnered national attention in 2023 after a Mississippi man destroyed their Iowa Statehouse display depicting the horned deity Baphomet, which was permitted in the rotunda along with a Christmas tree and other religious holiday installations.
The Satanic Temple Iowa's application for a display and event in December 2024 was denied, a decision that the organization says violated its members' constitutional rights and Iowa civil rights law.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement that state Capitol policies reflect the potential impact on children and families, given that they routinely visit the public building and spaces around it.
''This satanic event, which specifically targeted children, would have been harmful to minors and so it was denied," Reynolds said.
A message seeking comment was left with the state's Department of Administrative Services, which oversees the use of public space in the Iowa Capitol, and whose director, Adam Steen, is named on the complaint.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa filed the complaint with Iowa's civil rights office Tuesday on behalf of Mortimer Adramelech, minister of Satan for the Iowa Satanic Temple congregation. Rita Bettis Austen, ACLU Iowa's legal director, said the complaint with the civil rights office is the first step required before a legal claim of discrimination under Iowa civil rights law can be filed in court. The state's ACLU chapter hopes the complaint will be enough for state officials to reverse course.
The ACLU of Iowa also filed a lawsuit in April after Reynolds' office withheld or redacted requested records related to the Satanic Temple's display and event, citing executive privilege.
