Mad as hell: Satanic Temple holds religious reproductive rights protest in Utah

The state’s capital turned into Satan Lake City for a day, Enrique Limón reports

Supporters of a religious reproductive rights rally organized by the Satanic Temple join in a “Hail Satan!” chant outside the Utah Capitol on Saturday, Sept. 25 (Enrique Limón)

It wasn’t your parents’ protest. Around 200 supporters showed up to the Utah Capitol grounds, most dressed in black. Some wore cloaks and held up signs with messages like “Abort the patriarchy” and “My body, my temple,” while others made a statement donning horns and macabre masks. Around a bustling merch table that featured logo-emblazoned T-shirts and flags, plans were shared to hit up Licentia, the official afterparty, which was billed as a “salacious celebration of bodily autonomy, choice and freedom.”

This is how the Satanic Temple does demonstrations.

Members of the Salem, Massachusetts-based organisation, including some from chapters across the American West, congregated on Saturday with one unifying mission: protect religious abortion access for its members and sympathisers in the wake of restrictive legislation in Texas.