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The National Nuclear Security Administration is “a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile; works to reduce the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and militarily effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad.” Such important tasks require the best personnel, but the people have cause to wonder.

In February, the Biden-Harris administration announced five new NNSA appointees, with staff now 60 percent women,  57 percent “people of color,” and 25 percent “identifying as LGBTQ+.” The NNSA lists no percentage for people withexpertise in nuclear science and proven experience in fields of the agency’s mandate.  

Appointed as an NNSA “Special Assistant” is Sneha Nair, previously “a Research Analyst with the Nuclear Security Program at the Stimson Center, where she led research on insider threat mitigation, bias in human reliability programs, and implications of emerging technologies. Nair has held roles at the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization in Austria and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in the Netherlands. She grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and holds an MA (Honours) in Geography and International Relations from the University of St. Andrews in the United Kingdom.”

Nair’s bio shows no degrees in nuclear science but she is co-author of “Queering nuclear weapons: How LGBTQ+ inclusion strengthens security and reshapes disarmament,” published by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Her co-author Louis Reitmann, is a research associate at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation and a board member of the Emerging Voices Network, organized by the British American Security Information Council (BASIC).  Reitman earned an MSc in international relations from the London School of Economics, but nothing in his bio about nuclear science.

Following a recent conference, the authors were disturbed by comments such as “they should not allow mentally ill people near weapons of mass destruction.” The authors challenge “the common belief that queer identity has no relevance for nuclear policy, and that examining the relationship between queerness and nuclear policy is intended to push a social agenda rather than to address substantive issues.”

During “this Pride Month,” Nair and Reitmann want readers: “to understand that the visible representation and meaningful participation of queer people matters for nuclear policy outcomes. Discrimination against queer people can undermine nuclear security and increase nuclear risk. And queer theory can help change how nuclear practitioners, experts, and the public think about nuclear weapons.” They also contend:

“Equity and inclusion for queer people is not just a box-ticking exercise in ethics and social justice; it is also essential for creating effective nuclear policy. Studies in psychology and behavioral science show that diverse teams examine assumptions and evidence more carefully, make fewer errors, discuss issues more constructively, and better exchange new ideas and knowledge.”

In addition:

“Governments cannot afford to lose out on the human capital and innovation potential of queer people. Informed by their life experiences, queer people have specific skills to offer that are valuable in a policy and diplomacy context. LGBTQ+ people often must navigate being different from those around them; develop the ability to listen and empathize; and mobilize the skill and perseverance to make themselves heard.”

On the other hand:

“Exclusion and unfair treatment of queer individuals and other minorities by a homogenous, cis-heteronormative community of practitioners also creates vulnerabilities in nuclear decision making. Cis-heteronormativity is the automatic assumption that someone is heterosexual and identifies with the sex assigned to them at birth. It creates the idea that being heterosexual and cisgender is normal and natural, whereas being queer or trans is a deviation.”

Sneha Nair also wants people to know that:

“Queer theory is a field of study, closely related to feminist theory, that examines sex- and gender-based norms. It shines a light on the harm done by nuclear weapons through uranium mining, nuclear tests, and the tax money spent on nuclear weapons ($60 billion annually in the United States) instead of on education, infrastructure, and welfare.”

And so on, ad nauseum. Louis Reitmann and Sneha Nair conclude:

“Participating as oneself in the nuclear field is a right that should be extended to all. However, including the LGBTQ+ community in the nuclear field is far more than a social issue campaign. It is up to allies, people in power, and the institutions they serve to vocalize their support for LGBTQ+ inclusion, not just because it is the right thing to do, but also because queer people add value to nuclear weapons policy and discourse. Decision makers should look to LGBTQ+ inclusion for better nuclear policy outcomes, and build environments in which queer people can bring their specific skills and lived experiences to bear without fear. Arguments to the contrary are as stagnant and outdated as those who voice them.” (emphases added)

Sneha and Louis seem unaware that, as Bruce Bawer explains, “homosexuality and transgenderism are two utterly different phenomena,” and “queer” can mean anything. The LGBTQ+ formulation is a pre-fabricated construct that serves only to divide people into oppressed and oppressor classes, what the left has always done.  Any component of the construct is not an accomplishment, but there’s more to it.

Readers have a right to wonder about claims that “queer people have specific skills” and are necessarily more skilled or innovative at anything. Readers might wonder about the science behind the claim that queer people “examine assumptions and evidence more carefully make fewer errors, discuss issues more constructively, and better exchange new ideas and knowledge.”Science involves data, testing, calculation and replication. As Bawer observes, the alphabet construct is all about what people “think” of themselves, but there’s a problem.

If a man thinks he’s a woman and vice versa that does not make it so, any more than a mental patient’s claim to be Napoleon, Nebuchadnezzar or Joan of Arc makes it so. When a criminal suspect pleads innocent, that claim is subject to examination of physical and scientific evidence. A man’s claim to be a woman, and vice versa, should be subject to examination of skeletal structure, musculature, hormones, chromosomes and so forth.

People are free to undergo the irreversible mutilations euphemized as “gender affirming surgery.” On the other hand, there is no “right” to demand that others conform to what Bawer described as a “revolution against reality,” and give up their right to free speech and free thought. 

As Special Assistant SnehaNair should know, there is no “right” to work at the National Nuclear Security Administration as a member of the alphabet construct, to fill some DEI quota, or for any other reason. In fact, there is no “right” to employment in any branch of the federal government or the U.S. military. Prospective employees must qualify, meet standards, and be able to perform the required tasks, without endangering others. Nair’s critics are right that mentally ill people should not be allowed near weapons of mass destruction.

Woke junk thought aside Louis and Sneha provide an important revelation.  As they contend, arguments to the contrary are outdated as “those who voice them.” So those who dare to disagree with Special Assistant Sneha Nair are not only wrong but  “outdated,” relegated to the oppressive past.

History was a chronicle of cis-heteronormative oppression until the arrival of incompetent transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg;  “Admiral” Rachel Levine, the HHS physician who first does harm; and Sam Brinton, female impersonator and luggage thief. Scan this trio for proof that members of the alphabet construct have “special” skills, make fewer errors, and so forth. And consider the larger back story.

The first Communist state aimed to produce “new Soviet man” and German National Socialism hailed a “master race.” American national socialism is now on the rise, and the construct cadres its goose-stepping ubermenschen. Like the Soviet zampolits, Special Assistant Sheha Nair is a political officer promoting a noxious, divisive ideology that has no place at the National Nuclear Security Administration. As Nair’s appointment confirms, the Biden-Harris administration remains careless with the security of the nation.