USA: Oregon slaps nearly $90K fine on Christian counselor for saying he could not bless same-sex relationships

(ZENIT News / Salem, Oregon, 05.07.2026).- On behalf of a licensed Oregon counselor, Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed their opening brief Monday, May 4

with the Oregon Court of Appeals in Canepa v. Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists.

In the case, ADF attorneys represent Frank Canepa, who was fined $89,636 by the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists for answering a client’s repeated demand to personally affirm same-sex relationships. Although Canepa had seen this client for over two and a half years and had never mentioned his personal views on same-sex relationships in at least 44 other sessions in which this topic came up, the client insisted for 20 minutes in one session that Canepa personally bless her same-sex relationship. Canepa eventually told her he could not personally affirm these relationships because of his Catholic faith.

In their opening brief, ADF attorneys explain that the board’s punishment violated Canepa’s First Amendment rights, including the right to speak in counseling conversations. Four weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed this fundamental right in Chiles v. Salazar, holding that constitutional protections “extend to licensed professional” counselors like Canepa as “much as they do everyone else.”

“The government can’t target counselors for their views and can’t force people to say things that go against their core convictions,” said ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Litigation Strategy Jonathan Scruggs. “The Supreme Court recently took Colorado to task for censoring counselors and mandating orthodoxy in the counselor’s office. Now, Oregon needs to learn the same First Amendment lesson. We are urging the Oregon appellate court to overturn the board’s unlawful demand, restore First Amendment sanity, and halt the state’s attempt to weaponize its licensure system.”

Canepa tried gently redirecting the client’s repeated demand to provide his personal views on same-sex relationship but, as she persisted, he finally answered that he could not provide the personal affirmation requested. The Oregon board held that Canepa’s polite answer violated Oregon law and the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics and ordered Canepa to undergo six hours of continuing education and pay the costs of his own hearing, which amounted to nearly $90,000. ADF attorneys appealed, asking Oregon’s appellate court to overturn the unlawful order.

Matthew Wand of Lynch Murphy McLane LLP is serving as local counsel on behalf of Canepa.

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