Carolyn Wagner, 18 Year Old Openly Gay Minnesota High School Student Did Not Die Of Enlarged Heart, Rick Santorum Spews More Anti-Homosexual Hate, Amazing Race All-Star Season Features Lovely Luke Adams, The Kids Are All Right And Modern Family Are Among GLAAD Nominees, Shia LaBeouf Runs, Ryan Phillippe Scowls

Carolyn Wagner has died. Wagner, a devoted gay activist, co-founder of the group Families United Against Hate, and former vice-president of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, lost a long battle with cancer, hepatitis, and liver failure. Carolyn was the mother of William Wagner, a hate crime victim, who at 16, was assaulted in a vicious anti-gay bashing at school. Carolyn and her family won a Title IX lawsuit in which the Supreme Court upheld Title IX rights for students, regardless of gender of victim or harasser or sexual orientation or gender identity. Families United Against Hate released a statement that read ““On January 18, 2011 the world lost a civil rights pioneer and strong voice for equality. Carolyn Wagner fought every day to create a world where equality would become a reality for all, no matter their sexual orientation, gender identity, race or life circumstances. Her path in life was difficult but she never wavered in her dedication and love for the many communities she advocated so powerfully for until she took her last breath. Nothing could ever stop her from fighting for her family, her friends and her community. Plenty of people tried to stop her, but never with any success. Carolyn’s heart, mind and arms were always open and we will miss her powerful embrace, we know her legacy will never die as long as we carry the spirit of her love within us, and take action with as much courage, humor, and wisdom as she did. Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband and children and the hundreds and thousands of people whose lives she touched. She will always be with us.”

18 year old openly gay Jefferson High School student Lance Lundsten in Alexandria, Minnesota, did not die from an enlarged heart, despite his father’s insistence, KSAX reporting the preliminary findings in the autopsy showed that the teen’s heart was slightly enlarged, but that finding was a secondary finding to an undetermined cause according to Douglas County Medical Examiner Dr. Mark Spanbauer. Spanbauer said what caused the young man’s heart to swell slightly is still not known, the final autopsy report still in progress. “He was a young man,” said Spanbauer. “His heart showed slight swelling. It was slightly enlarged. This was a secondary finding.” Spanbauer was awaiting the results of a toxicology report before releasing the official cause of death. Lundsten died Saturday evening, and friends were quick to suggest that he took his own life, in part, because of anti-gay bullying he endured.

Wednesday, according to Right Wing Watch, CNS News aired an almost two-hour long interview with Rick Santorum, the historically anti-gay former United States senator (Republican-Pennsylvania), in which Santorum expressed his opposition to gay marriage and to adopt children, telling editor-in-chief Terry Jeffrey that it was “common sense” that we should not “defy nature” just because “a certain group of people want to be affirmed by society.”

The Los Angeles Times reports on the cast of the upcoming season of The Amazing Race, the award-winning reality competition show’s first All-Star season, which debuts February 20th, all eleven teams comprised of previous teams that did not win the $1 million given a second chance, and among the contestants are openly gay activist Mel White and his screenwriter son Mike, who competed in the 14th season, finishing in 6th place, and the very cute Luke Adams, who along with his mother, Margie, finished in 3rd place also in the 14th season.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has announced the nominations for the 22nd annual GLAAD Media Awards, recognizing and honouring media who have contributed outstanding images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Among the nominees are Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right, ABC’s Modern Family, and MSNBC’s interview with Fort Worth City Council member Joel Burns, as well as CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, and Chely Wright.

Tuesday, an iPod wearing, shirtless Shia LaBeouf seen running through the streets of Los Angeles, looking a little like a hot homeless guy.

Scowling Ryan Phillippe spotted Wednesday in Los Angeles, still smoking sexy.