Sondra Wilson for Governor statement on Satanic Temple Display at Iowa Capitol

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Statement from Sondra Wilson on the Satanic Temple Display

Recently, my campaign was asked whether, if elected, I would allow the Satanic Temple to place its holiday display in the Iowa Capitol “without judgment.” I am not naïve, and I know exactly what is at stake in how I answer this question.

My Initial Thoughts: A Transparent Response

1.) Iowa is, by and large, a predominantly Christian state —  this shapes how symbols are interpreted, how judgments toward others are cast, and how political decisions are made. Although we have a secular government, the reality is that most Iowans were raised within Christian frameworks that strongly emphasize a moral grounding in differentiating between good and evil. For the vast majority of Iowans, the term “Satan” is synonymous with “evil.”

2.) Many Christian Iowans carry deep, unprocessed intergenerational trauma — the residue of centuries of religious terror: witch trials, inquisitions, public executions, invasive state surveillance, and state-mandated punishment for deviating from religious norms. Though America’s founders created a secular nation, the people who lived here — and their descendants — carried forward the fears shaped by that history. The literal fear of “hellfire and brimstone” moved from fear of being burned at the stake to children being taught about eternal damnation.

3.) This inherited trauma shapes present-day attitudes — as a result, judgment of LGBTQ+ people is often not seen through a civil-rights lens, but through a trauma-distorted lens rooted in dogma, fear, and superstition.

4.) Modern political actors weaponize this trauma for power — instead of helping Iowans heal, a well-funded political movement exploits fear by pushing “good vs. evil” narratives.

In 2023, this political network gashed open a hole in Iowa’s public education system, flooding tax dollars into private religious schools where children are not taught this real history and are instead re-indoctrinated into a theocratic worldview the Founding Fathers sought to free us from. Simultaneously, politicians and candidates — including some I am running against — capitalize on this fear and push people into “fight or flight” by framing everything as “good vs. evil.” With the Iowa Civil Rights Commission ranked 50th in the nation, and anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment embedded in many religious teachings, this has, in my view, effectively sent Iowa into an undeclared state of emergency.

5.) The Satanic Temple’s imagery ignites an already volatile environment — to the vast majority of Iowans, including multiple atheists who have expressed to me that they support your tenets but reject your imagery, your message does not simply get lost; it becomes weaponized by politicians like Steen who seize the opportunity to capitalize on fear. When Steen talks about “the enemy” and a “battle between good and evil,” many Iowans see the ACLU of Iowa speaking up for the Satanic Temple immediately after filing lawsuits involving transgender rights. Your actions provide an easily manipulated tool for those you seek to critique — not because of your philosophy, but because of your imagery, which reinforces fears instead of freeing minds. Your actions — intentionally or not — escalate panic instead of illuminating the real dangers Iowa faces.

6.) LGBTQ+ Iowans — not the Satanic Temple — will bear the broad-stroke backlash — when the ACLU of Iowa and the ACLU Foundation of Iowa moved directly from defending transgender Iowans to publicly supporting the Satanic Temple’s display, anti–civil rights extremists immediately fused these narratives together: LGBTQ+ people, civil-rights advocates, and the Temple were painted as one unified “enemy” — a term that is widely understood in Christian theology as Satan. Those insulated from violence may never feel the consequences of this framing — but transgender women like myself will.

This backlash comes at a moment when transgender Iowans are already unprotected. To my knowledge, color-of-law violations against us have not been prosecuted, nor have we received civil remedies. We do not find help through the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, which is ranked 50th in the nation. And no attorney, law firm, or advocacy organization in Iowa has publicly called these violations what they are: color-of-law crimes. Nor has any called for restitution for the class of transgender people who have endured political defamation, rights violations, and sustained emotional and physical harm inflicted under color of law.

Yet instead of completing this urgent work, the ACLU shifted immediately to publicly supporting the Satanic Temple — a sequence that, regardless of intent, plays directly into a politically hostile narrative being used to weaponize religion against transgender people.

I find this sequence deeply concerning. The ACLU’s choices may be shaped by constraints within their 501(c)(3)/(c)(4) structure, obligations imposed by the Iowa Bar, or limitations unknown to me — but the outcome is the same: transgender Iowans remain exposed in a climate of rising hostility, and political actors are empowered to collapse all of these issues into one “enemy” narrative. The Satanic Temple’s chosen imagery makes that collapse frighteningly easy, escalating panic instead of illuminating Iowa’s real emergencies. This is not theoretical: Adam Steen has already publicly seized this opportunity created by decisions made without weighing their real-world consequences.

7.) The Satanic Temple’s own framing deepens public confusion — your public materials openly reject belief in a literal Satan, which creates significant ambiguity for many Iowans about whether your activities reflect sincerely held religious belief or symbolic political expression. Non-theistic religions can certainly be valid, but your own framing makes it difficult for the public to distinguish where religious identity ends and political provocation begins.

In an era where political trolling has become normalized, this ambiguity creates real consequences. Many Iowans cannot tell whether you intend to practice a genuine non-theistic faith or provoke political reaction through charged symbolism — and you have not clarified this tension for the public.

If your goal is compassion, healing, and justice, then knowingly provoking a backlash that will fall on minorities — especially transgender women — runs opposite to those values. Good intentions do not erase foreseeable harm, and that harm will not fall on your leadership. It will fall on people already facing disproportionate violence.

The Political Trap: Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don’t…

If I answer “yes,” politicians, media personalities and anyone opposed to my campaign will easily frame it as: “Go figure — the transgender gubernatorial candidate is siding with Satan.”

• Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Steen has already painted the Satanic Temple, LGBTQ+ people, and — indirectly — the ACLU of Iowa as “the enemy,” even though I am not associated with, nor do I agree with, several positions or methods held by either organization.
• Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States, was assassinated by someone acting from deeply held religious beliefs. My concerns about safety during this campaign stem not from who I am as a person, but from how I may be framed.
• Given that pattern, it is reasonable to conclude that a “yes” from me would put my life — and the lives of other LGBTQ+ Iowans — at further risk. As a transgender woman who has been attacked multiple times by people acting from religious dogma rather than reality, I understand the real danger that a “yes” would create.

And I am not convinced the Satanic Temple of Iowa has fully contemplated the risk they are placing LGBTQ+ Iowans in by perhaps inadvertently throwing gasoline on the fire in an openly hostile political environment.

Here is what I mean:

Your website states that you do not worship Satan — yet you use Satanic imagery as your central symbol. Your tenets read as philosophical and scientific, not as expressions of deeply held religious belief.

But your imagery — no matter what you intend — is built around a theological figure widely associated with deceit, lies, manipulation, and evil.

Your message may be powerful in theory, but in practice, for many Iowans — including multiple atheists who have expressed to me that they support your principles but reject your branding — your symbolism overrides your substance. It does not land as critique. It lands as threat. It becomes political fuel for extremists — not enlightenment for the public.

If I answer “no,” others will claim I oppose free expression, and patriots will question my commitment to constitutional principles.

A False Dichotomy

Across cultures, traditions, theatre, and film, “Satan” is defined by presenting false choices, loaded tests, and binary traps.

One of the most well-known stories involving Satan is the Temptation in the Wilderness, where he tested Jesus with challenges disguised as binaries: Turn stones into bread. Throw yourself from the temple. Bow to power.

Each test forced a choice between “A” or “B” — just as the question presented to me was framed: “Would you allow — without judgment — the Satanic Temple of Iowa to display their holiday decorations in the State Capitol?”

As already discussed, both “A” and “B” are political traps.

Each time, Jesus did not slander, denounce, or attack Satan. He refused the framing and answered in a way that exposed the manipulation and turned the challenge on its head.

And because — in this case — the framing puts lives at risk, not just mine, I have a responsibility to step back, expose the trap, and answer honestly with public safety and constitutional integrity in mind. I must also take this opportunity to address the concerns many Iowans have expressed to me, and to ask the questions they are asking.

This Risks Sabotaging a Humanitarian Campaign Built to Help Iowans

I am doing something that is sorely needed and long overdue: challenging the powers that be in Iowa and running on a transparent, independent platform free from donor influence, hidden agendas, coercion, or party pressure.

I am the only candidate in this race with a plan to:

• Repeal the school voucher program and restore Iowa’s public education system instead of draining it dry. The voucher law is projected to divert $345 million in taxpayer dollars into private religious institutions, where children will be indoctrinated into specific belief systems and made more susceptible to political manipulation through the conflation of church and state. My education plan will be uploaded soon: https://wildwillpower.org/our-platform/education-reform/

• Vastly improve Iowa’s healthcare system in a way that guarantees coverage for every Iowan while expanding wellness services for Iowa’s workforce. My plan helps insurance companies pivot to non-vital care, supports small businesses, lowers costs, and provides Iowans with far more. Details are here: https://wildwillpower.org/statewide-platform/sondracare-plan/

• Use eminent domain *for good* (instead of taking land from farmers) to reclaim rental housing from out-of-state landlords. This policy will keep an estimated $2.5 billion in Iowa every year, relieve renters from predatory conditions created by absentee landlords, and reduce property taxes for homeowners by expanding homeownership statewide. Plan here (update forthcoming):
  https://wildwillpower.org/statewide-platform/sensible-housing-act/

• Guarantees every Iowan the right to garden and grow their own food at a time when nature continues to be bulldozed and disregarded. I am also spearheading a statewide gardening curriculum so that students can grow crops for school lunches, lowering food costs while teaching practical skills.

• Reform our justice system so that Iowans can actually access their courts.
  This includes simplifying rules of procedure and getting attorneys out from behind desks and into high-school classrooms, where they can teach the next generation business law, environmental law, civil rights, and more.

These are only a few examples of the constitutional reforms within my platform.

As mentioned previously, Harvey Milk was assassinated for being an openly gay man in public office. I am a transgender woman, and siding with the Satanic Temple — no matter my reasoning — would not only put my life at risk; it would also deprive Iowans of the opportunity to finally bring a humanitarian voice with a concrete, constitutional plan into Iowa politics.

Whether I answer “yes” or “no” to the question as it was presented to me, my campaign becomes perfectly framed for sabotage — and Iowans would lose out on this moment of possibility.

Two Questions for the Satanic Temple of Iowa

Before I can offer an informed response, I need clarity on two points that only the Satanic Temple of Iowa can answer.

1. Is your display an expression of sincerely held religious belief, or is it political expression presented through religious symbolism?

The holiday-display area in the Iowa Capitol is a limited public forum, meaning the state has opened that specific space for one narrow purpose: passive seasonal or religious expression, governed by equal, viewpoint-neutral time, place, and manner rules. A limited public forum is a category in First Amendment law that allows the government to open a specific space for a specific category of expression — and to apply neutral rules limiting the forum to that purpose.
(See Good News Club v. Milford Central School, 533 U.S. 98 (2001); Rosenberger v. UVA, 515 U.S. 819 (1995).)

By constitutional design, religious expression is permitted in this forum, but political advocacy, satire, or protest — while fully protected speech — falls outside the designated purpose of this forum and therefore belongs in the general-expression areas of the rotunda, not in a space reserved specifically for religious or seasonal expression.

Your own published materials describe:

• Satan as a metaphor

• your tenets as philosophical and scientific

• your mission as critique of theocratic authority

None of this invalidates your rights. But it does raise an essential classification question:

Is your requested display an act of sincere religious devotion — or a form of political or philosophical critique conveyed through religious imagery?

This is not about theology or aesthetics. It is a question of proper forum placement under long-established First Amendment principles.

Courts evaluating religion-related access questions consistently examine whether the expression is grounded in sincerely held religious belief, rather than political advocacy framed in religious terms. (See United States v. Seeger, 380 U.S. 163 (1965); Welsh v. United States, 398 U.S. 333 (1970); Capitol Square Review Bd. v. Pinette, 515 U.S. 753 (1995).)

• If your display reflects sincere religious belief, it belongs in the holiday-display forum.

• If it is political or satirical expression, then the proper venue is the rotunda.

Only you can clarify this distinction.

2. Is your current branding so essential to your mission that you are willing to accept the foreseeable harm it inflicts on marginalized Iowans — or would you consider a trauma-aware rebranding that still honors your values?

This is not an attempt to silence you.
It is an invitation to reflect on impact, not intention.

Your stated values — compassion, autonomy, justice, scientific reasoning — are not inherently controversial. Yet your imagery carries predictable consequences in a state where:

• “Satan” is culturally synonymous with evil,

• trauma surrounding that figure is deep, generational, and inherited,

• political actors strategically inflame that trauma for power, and

• LGBTQ+ Iowans — not your organization — absorb the retaliatory harm.

This is not a theoretical risk; it is already happening.

Your symbolism may be intended as critique, but in a trauma-conditioned environment it becomes political kindling. Extremists collapse your imagery and queer visibility into a single “enemy” narrative — and that narrative makes people like me less safe.

A Parallel Example

The Washington Redskins rebranded as the Washington Commanders out of respect for Native communities. That change did not silence the team — it aligned its identity with its values.

A Request for Harm Reduction

In that same spirit, I am not asking as a candidate or a governor, but as a fellow Iowan — and as a transgender woman who has survived physical attacks from religious extremists:

Will the Satanic Temple of Iowa consider a temporary or permanent branding change during this volatile political moment, for the purpose of reducing predictable harm to Iowa’s LGBTQ+ population?

This is not a demand. It is an appeal to compassion — the very value your tenets proclaim.

The Parable of the Thorn in the Dog’s Paw

Two travelers, Damien and Joshua, were walking through the wilderness when they came upon a dog snarling, snapping, and backing away in fear. Its behavior seemed sudden and unprovoked.

“Look!” Damien shouted. “The animal is dangerous. We should defend ourselves!”
He grabbed a fallen branch, preparing to strike.

But Joshua stepped closer and saw the truth: a long thorn buried deep in the dog’s paw.

“No, Damien,” he said gently. “It is not angry—it is in pain.”

Joshua knelt, speaking softly. He offered the dog a small piece of food, and as the trembling animal cautiously accepted it, Joshua carefully removed the thorn.

The moment the thorn came free, the snarling stopped. The dog’s eyes softened. Its tail began to wag. It licked Joshua’s hand in gratitude.

Moral of the Story

Much of Iowa is that dog. What looks like hostility toward LGBTQ+ people is often not rooted in hatred, but in inherited trauma—fears passed down through generations of people raised under religious terror, social surveillance, and doctrines of damnation. That trauma was carried into a new nation, never fully named and never healed.

The “thorn” is not evil. The “thorn” is unprocessed pain. And when imagery associated with “Satan” touches that wound, the reaction is not truly about you or your tenets. It is about the thorn.

Real progress does not come from pressing on that wound. It comes from helping remove it. Educate. Educate. Educate.

I want to thank the individual who presented me with this question for giving me the opportunity to respond and to have my voice heard. I also want to thank the veterans and service members who protect my First Amendment right to speak on this topic. For generations, LGBTQ+ voices have been drowned out or overpowered by well-funded campaigns of all kinds, so it means a great deal to finally be able to share a perspective we have not heard in state or national politics.

Author: Press Release