Celebrating Pride: First Account of U.S. History Around Conversion Therapy to be Published in 2023

To celebrate Pride Month in June, a Utah State Today series is highlighting university employees and students who are conducting research, academic pursuits and other projects related to or that benefit the LGBTQIA+ community.

Chris Babits

Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow, History

• Area of study: Conversion therapy in the LGBTQ+ community

Why is this work important?

“What I would love to come out of this is an increase in funding at state and federal levels for LGBTQ+ youth to have counseling by highly credentialed professionals.”

Summary of research:

USU history professor Chris Babits’ forthcoming book, “To Cure a Sinful Nation: A history of Conversion Therapy in the U.S.,” will explore the history and research behind conversion therapy in the LGBTQ+ community. The book is set to be published at the beginning of 2023.

Babits is passionate about creating awareness surrounding conversion therapy’s long history.

This will be the first book to contain a full account of the United States’ history with conversion therapy. Babits believes writing a complete history will allow historians to later focus more deeply on specific aspects.

Babits hopes the information presented in his book will make the public more aware of the issue of conversion therapy.

Read more about Babits on Liberalis

• Sparking the Conversation about Conversion