Iowa Man Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Burning Rainbow Pride Flag
- By
- Carlos Santoscoy
- | December 20, 2019
An Iowa man on Wednesday was sentenced to 15 years in prison for burning a rainbow Pride flag displayed at a church.
During his trial in November, Adolfo Martinez, 30, of Ames, said that he tore down the flag and burned it because he's opposed to homosexuality.
The rainbow Pride flag, a symbol of the LGBT rights movement, was hanging from the United Church of Christ in Ames. The incident happened in June, LGBT Pride Month.
Martinez was also given a year for reckless use of explosives or fire and 30 days for harassment, putting Martinez away for 16 years, NBC News reported.
Prosecutors had called for a lengthier sentence due to Martinez being a “habitual offender.”
Courtney Reyes, executive director of One Iowa, the state's largest LGBT rights advocate, disagreed with the lengthy sentence.
“Hate crimes against the LGBTQ community are a serious matter as they inflict distinct emotional harms on their victims, and strike fear into the communities they target," Reyes said in a statement given to NBC News. "That said, true justice should always strive to be about rehabilitation, reconciliation, and healing communities. It is difficult to see how a 16-year prison sentence accomplishes any of those goals."