The state cancelled the event because part of the display was “obscene.”
According to a report from WHO Des Moines, the event was supposed to include “singing of holiday carols, making ornaments, a costume contest, and a religious ceremony.”
Matt Kezhaya, the Satanic Temple of Iowa’s attorney, has argued that the case is about the freedom of speech.
“We have First Amendment rights for a reason and our government can’t be picking and choosing what kind of speech it wants to host, they clearly chose,” Kezhaya told WHO. “They said we don’t want this particular speech, you can’t do that.”
Governor Kim Reynolds supported the event cancellation.
“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,” Reynolds said, according to the report.
Though they intend to sue over the cancellation, the Satanic Temple did not attempt to obtain a court order to force the state to allow the event.
“We’re not going get a court order as a matter of practicality. The effort to put together the request to the judge to get a court order that we can hold our event on Saturday,” said Kezhaya. “The juice ain’t worth the squeeze, so we’re better off just filing a suit after the fact saying we want a declaration from the court that our rights were violated.”
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