At the July 5th, 2022 Irondale City Council meeting, Councilor Cuellar stalled efforts to form an agreement between Irondale and Birmingham that would allow Irondale police officers to assist with the 2022 World Games. Councilor Cuellar cited Birmingham's ban on gender identity discrimination as her reason to oppose Irondale's proposed partnership with neighboring Birmingham.

Councilor Cuellar said in the meeting, “And what [the nondiscrimination section of the contract] means is that someone dressed up as a man—or as a woman—that is not that biological sex could come apply for a job and our Irondale police department would be mandated to hire. I don’t think that’s appropriate for our community right now to have children seeing a man dressed up as a woman with a wig and makeup. I just don't think that's good."

In laying out the case to deny employment to someone because of their gender identity (based on the false premise that transgender and gender non-conforming individuals are threats to children), Councilor Cuellar publicly and undeniably advocates for employment discrimination that would violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Bostock vs. Clayton County, 2020). Worse, as an elected official in a position of great power and trust, her public statements threaten, demean, and further marginalize transgender and gender non-conforming residents who may now or in the future work or live in the city of Irondale.

Councilor Cuellar openly demonstrated transphobia. Days have passed with no apology. In the meantime, her actions have attracted the attention of numerous news outlets, casting Irondale in a negative light not reflective of the citizens she was elected to represent.

Her malfeasance in calling for illegal employment discrimination at the City of Irondale because of gender identity is conduct detrimental to good order and--at a minimum--cause for censure, if not grounds for removal by a two-thirds vote of all those elected to the council (Section 11-43-160, Code of Alabama 1975).

We ask that the Irondale City Council Members faithfully discharge the duties of their office by taking action now.