A Tarrant County pastor is challenging Commissioner Alisa Simmons over her attempt to honor the HELP Center for LGBTQ+ Health, arguing that county officials can recognize health services without endorsing what he described as a contested cultural message.
The exchange includes a June 8 letter from Simmons to Troy Jackson, PhD, and a June 16 response from Jackson. Simmons had proposed a Commissioners Court resolution recognizing the HELP Center, an organization that provides HIV testing, prevention services, counseling, and other health programs.
The court rejected the resolution 3-2 on June 9. County Judge Tim O’Hare and Commissioners Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez voted against it, while Simmons and Commissioner Roderick Miles voted in favor.
Resolution Rejected
The proposed resolution appeared on the June 9 Commissioners Court agenda as “Resolution – Recognizing Help Center for LGBTQ+ Health (Commissioner Simmons).”
The HELP Center describes itself as focused on HIV prevention and expanding services for the LGBTQ+ community. Its website lists programs including PrEP and PEP services, HIV and syphilis testing, counseling, condom distribution, health care access, and community mobilization.
Simmons defended the proposal in a June 8 letter to Jackson.
“I’ve received your letter of concern regarding my Tarrant County resolution to recognize HELP Center for LGBTQ+ Health at the upcoming Commissioners Court meeting,” Simmons wrote. “I appreciate your engagement, as I do that of all Tarrant County constituents who lift their voices to help government work for all.”
Simmons also rejected parts of Jackson’s criticism.
“I won’t address each statement in your letter, particularly those that question my faith, my motivations and areas of my character. Your assessment is laughable,” Simmons wrote.
Simmons argued that the organization provides public health value, writing that HELP Center delivered more than $70 million in medicine, clinical services, and support care to hundreds of patients at no cost in 2025.
Pastor Pushes Back
Jackson, who signed his June 16 letter as a Biblical Citizenship Pastor and Tarrant County resident, said his objection centered on the county’s official recognition of an LGBTQ+ Health organization, not whether sick or medically vulnerable people should receive care.
“My concern is not whether sick people should receive care. They should,” Jackson wrote. “My concern is not whether public health issues should be addressed responsibly. They should.”
He argued that the county should not use its ceremonial platform to elevate identity-based language that many taxpayers reject on moral or religious grounds.
“The concern is whether Tarrant County Commissioners Court should use its official platform to recognize and elevate an organization specifically branded around LGBTQ+ health, without also acknowledging the moral, cultural, and religious concerns of many taxpayers in this county,” Jackson wrote.
Jackson said a resolution framed around specific health services would have created less controversy.
“If the resolution were focused strictly on public health services, HIV prevention, access to medication, counseling, and care for underserved populations, without the ideological branding, many concerns would be reduced,” Jackson wrote. “But when the resolution specifically recognizes LGBTQ+ Health, it moves beyond neutral public health language and enters contested moral and cultural territory.”
Broader Debate
The dispute followed a contentious Commissioners Court debate over whether the county should formally recognize the HELP Center. Opponents questioned whether the resolution went beyond public health, including concerns about services connected to people who identify as “transgender.”
The HELP Center website includes a “Transitioning Women’s Support Group – Sign Up Request Form.” The organization’s homepage also says it seeks to expand efforts to improve LGBT health and help LGBT individuals lead long, healthy lives.
Simmons’ office did not respond to a request for additional comment from The Dallas Express by publication time.
