Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation

Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Logo

Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) is a Non-Governmental Organization founded in 2010 "established on the initiative of the Austrian government".

About

From the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation website:

The Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) promotes international peace and security by conducting research, facilitating dialogue, and building capacity on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

Our research and analysis provide actionable policy recommendations for decision-makers. We host public events and facilitate constructive, results-oriented dialogue among national governments, multilateral institutions, and civil society. Through both in-person courses and online resources on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, we train diplomats and practitioners working in Vienna and around the world.

The VCDNP is an international non-governmental organisation established on the initiative of the Austrian government. The Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey established the VCDNP in 2010, and the Center officially opened on 25 February 2011. The VCDNP is a member of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium, which coordinates a Europe-wide network of think tanks and research insititutes, supported by the European Union.

'Queering nuclear weapons'

Louis Reitmann of the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation and Sneha Nair authored a piece dated June 15, 2023 published at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists website titled: "Queering nuclear weapons: How LGBTQ+ inclusion strengthens security and reshapes disarmament" posted on the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists website that argues that "Decision makers" should include LGBTQ+ for "better nuclear policy outcomes" and those who disagree are "stagnant and outdated":

"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 Arguments to the contrary are as stagnant and outdated as those who voice them.

LGBT+ Identity in the Nuclear Weapons Space

Screenshot from LGBT+ Identity in the Nuclear Weapons Space Panel Discussion

LGBT+ Identity in the Nuclear Weapons Space

Louis Reitmann (he/him) moderated the "LGBT+ Identity in the Nuclear Weapons Space" book launch on 6 December 2022 at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP. Verbatim from the invitation:

The Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) cordially invites you to attend a virtual book launch entitled “LGBT+ Identity in the Nuclear Weapons Space,” which will be held on Tuesday, 6 December 2022 from 15:00 to 16:15 Central European Time (CET) via Zoom. The webinar will also be livestreamed to YouTube.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other queer people were long excluded from the historically male and heteronormative nuclear weapons space. Their identities were thought to be incompatible with national defence, international security, and arms control work. This event will underline why LGBT+ inclusion, participation, and visibility in nuclear weapons policy is important, how it has been advanced, and what remains to be done.

Our speakers will share personal experiences of engaging with nuclear weapons policy as members of the LGBT+ community, explaining how their identities shape their work, and how they view LGBT+ visibility and equality in this field. The panel discussion will also spotlight the contributions by queer theory scholars and queer activists for peace and disarmament.

Speakers:

• Richard Johnson (he/him), United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Policy
• Laura S.H. Holgate (she/her), United States Ambassador to International Organizations in Vienna
• Ray Acheson (they/them), Director, Reaching Critical Will
• Anuradha Damale-Day (she/her), Policy Fellow and Programme Manager, British American Security Information Council (BASIC)

The panel will be opened by VCDNP Executive Director Elena K. Sokova (she/her) and moderated by Research Associate Louis Reitmann (he/him).