Iowa court affirms hate crime conviction of man who left anti-gay notes at homes with rainbow flags

By STEVE KARNOWSKI
Associated Press

The Iowa Supreme Court has affirmed the hate crime conviction of a man who posted notes at homes with rainbow flags and emblems, urging them to “burn that gay flag.” The majority rejected Robert Clark Geddes’ claim that his conviction for trespassing as a hate crime violated his free speech rights. The justices said the defendant’s “surreptitious entry onto those properties to post his harassing notes” was not protected by the First Amendment. But a dissenting justice said a hate crime conviction wasn’t appropriate since it wasn’t clear if the people displaying the symbols were actually associated with the LGBTQ+ community.