Satanic Temple accuses Iowa of religious discrimination

The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa filed a complaint against state officials on Monday for allegedly discriminating against the group on the basis of their religious beliefs, according to a Tuesday statement. The Iowa Department of Administrative Services denied the temple’s application to hold a holiday event and mount a display in the Iowa Capitol Building Rotunda last December, according to the ACLU’s complaint to the Iowa Office of Civil Rights. The denial stemmed from officials’ perceptions of the Satanic Temple’s beliefs, and was issued in retaliation for previous discrimination reports filed by Temple Minister Mortimer Adramelech, the complaint alleged. Satanic believers are compassionate and caring human beings with families who only want to exercise the right to freedom of religion, Adramelech insisted in the ACLU’s release.

What exactly happened? The Satanic Temple submitted its request to hold a holiday event in the Capitol Rotunda in October 2024, describing it as a family-friendly event. The event would have featured costumes modeled after the fictional character Krampus, a horned demonic figure popular in the European Middle Ages. Plans for the event also included what the group characterized as caroling, as well as ornament construction. Months after the application’s submission, state officials requested more details about the event. The temple shared its final song list, examples of costumes, and images of the planned crafts. The crafts included coloring pages with pentagrams, and DIY ornaments. Those ornaments were in the shapes of a goat head representing Baphomet, a snake, and a circle reading “Hail Satan.” The temple also described a ritual planned for the event, in which a group would process to a holiday display table with a flameless candle.

What reasons did state officials give for blocking the event? Days after they received additional details about the event, state officials formally denied the group’s event application from October, according to the complaint. State code bans any gory, violent, or obscene material from being displayed because of the number of children who frequent the Capitol to learn about their government, according to a letter to the temple from Iowa Administrative Services Director Adam Steen, cited by the complaint. When the group asked why the decision was made and whether it could be appealed, Steen cited concerns that costumes with sticks could be used as weapons and pose a threat to children. Steen later cited personal research into the traditional Krampus legend, citing concerns about legendary accounts of the Krampus beating naughty children with sticks.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds reiterated other state officials’ concerns. In a statement cited by the Associated Press, Reynolds said the satanic event as described would specifically target children and be harmful to minors.

The state government and Steen denied the temple’s application based on their perception of the Satanic Temple’s religious beliefs, and the event, as planned, posed no harm to minors under the state code, according to the complaint. Concerns for children being hit with sticks were unfounded and used as a pretext for discrimination against the satanic religion, the complaint alleged. Iowa officials don’t want satanists to have the same access to the Iowa State Capitol as other mainstream religions, particularly Christianity, the ACLU insisted.

What will come of the complaint? A complaint to the Iowa Office of Civil Rights is not a formal lawsuit, according to a report by the Iowa Capital Dispatch. The office must choose whether to investigate the complaint and may offer mediation between the parties involved. About two months after filing, the complainants would then have the option to remove their complaint from the commission and request a “right to sue” letter to file a lawsuit in the district.

Dig deeper: Read my report from last year about the Temple’s Capitol building display being vandalized.