Whether he was organizing safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth, marching in the city’s early Pride parades when participation still carried real danger, or speaking at school boards, city council meetings, or churches, Danny brought visibility to lives too often silenced. His presence gave others permission to live their truth, and his love gave them shelter from the storm.

A longtime member of PFLAG, Rollings quickly rose through the ranks due to his unifying leadership style and compassionate advocacy. Under his tenure as President of PFLAG El Paso, the organization experienced unprecedented growth in membership, reach, and influence.

He established mentorship programs for LGBTQ+ teens and partnered with schools to implement anti-bullying initiatives that became statewide models. He forged cross-cultural alliances with faith leaders, medical providers, and social workers. Most importantly, he made PFLAG feel like home — a place where families could come to learn, cry, grow, and love again.

“Danny didn’t just talk about inclusion. He embodied it,” said Rosa Mendoza, a fellow advocate and friend. “He had a way of making everyone feel like they mattered — and when you were with him, you believed you could change the world.”

Personal Journey: The Power of Authentic Living

Danny Rollings often spoke publicly about his own journey — one not without pain, but full of grace. Coming out as a gay man in West Texas in the 1980s was, as he described it, “an act of survival and a declaration of faith — in myself, in love, and in a future that had not yet been written.”

His courage to live openly inspired hundreds — perhaps thousands — of LGBTQ+ individuals to come out to their families, pursue dreams previously thought unreachable, or simply believe that their life had worth. For every public victory, there were quiet conversations in living rooms and late-night phone calls with scared parents and questioning youth. Those moments, Danny always said, mattered the most.

Rollings was also an advocate for intersectional justice, emphasizing that LGBTQ+ rights must always be linked to racial equity, economic fairness, and immigrant justice — particularly in a border city like El Paso. He worked alongside DREAMers, Black Lives Matter organizers, Indigenous groups, and women’s rights coalitions, always centering his activism on collaboration rather than division.

A Leader in the Fight Against Cancer

In recent years, as Danny faced an aggressive cancer diagnosis, he turned his journey into a platform for awareness, resilience, and advocacy for health care equity — especially within LGBTQ+ and marginalized communities, which often face barriers to timely diagnosis and compassionate care.

Even during rounds of chemotherapy, Rollings remained active. He blogged about his experiences with raw honesty and humor, drawing attention to the emotional complexity of illness while urging others to get screened and demand dignified care. His posts often blended advocacy with gratitude, always finding space to lift others even as his own strength waned.

“I may be sick,” he once wrote, “but I’m not going to stop loving, teaching, showing up, or shining a light on injustice. That’s the job. That’s the promise I made when I came out — to leave the world better than I found it.”

Honors and Recognition

Over the years, Danny Rollings received numerous local and national awards for his activism, including:

• The PFLAG National Lifetime Advocacy Award
• El Paso Community Spirit Medal of Honor
• Texas Health Equity Champion Award
• Recognition from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and GLAAD

Despite accolades, he remained humble — always redirecting praise to “the people,” as he often said. “The real heroes are the kids who come out at 15, the parents who choose love over fear, the teachers who make their classrooms safe. I’m just one voice in a very big, beautiful chorus.”

The Legacy Lives On

Danny Rollings’ death has prompted an outpouring of grief and tributes from across the nation. Vigils have already been held in El Paso, Austin, and San Diego. LGBTQ+ centers in several states have lowered their flags and held moments of silence in his honor. The hashtag #ThankYouDanny is trending among advocates, celebrities, and everyday people sharing stories of how his work changed — or saved — their lives.

Locally, plans are underway to rename the community meeting hall at the El Paso LGBTQ+ Resource Center in Danny’s honor. A scholarship for LGBTQ+ youth pursuing social justice careers is also being organized by PFLAG El Paso.

“Danny was love in action,” said Alex Rodriguez, a young trans man who met Rollings at a PFLAG meeting. “He showed me that I wasn’t broken. That I deserved to exist. I owe him my life.”

A Final Message of Love

Danny Rollings left behind not only decades of advocacy, but a final letter, published posthumously by his family with his blessing. In it, he thanked the community for giving him a life filled with purpose, and urged everyone to “be kind, be loud, and be brave.”

“If my work ever touched you,” he wrote, “then take that love and give it to someone else. Speak up when it’s hard. Love when it’s inconvenient. And never, ever forget that you are worthy of joy — just as you are.”

Funeral and Memorial Arrangements

Danny Rollings’ family has announced that a celebration of life service will be held at [Location], with both in-person and livestream options to accommodate the large number of mourners expected. Details on the exact date, location, and time will be released shortly via PFLAG El Paso and the El Paso LGBTQ+ Resource Center.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to:

• The Danny Rollings LGBTQ+ Youth Empowerment Fund
• PFLAG El Paso
• The Cancer Resource Center of El Paso

In Closing: A Life That Changed the World

Danny Rollings was many things — an activist, a mentor, a truth-teller, a friend. But more than anything, he was love personified. His life was a lighthouse for the lost, a song for the silenced, and a sword for the vulnerable. Though his physical voice is gone, his spirit continues — in every march, every coming-out story, every parent who chooses love, and every young person who dares to believe they are enough.

May we honor him not only in mourning but in action. And may his name be remembered not just as a symbol of what one man accomplished, but of what all of us are capable of when we lead with love.

Rest in power, Danny Rollings. The world is better because you were here.