Scrapbook for Matt Bomer From His Fans
Hey! It’s @lauracollared. :)
Back in August 2011, I had a little idea of creating a fan scrapbook that I would deliver to Matt Bomer. The idea came to me when we learned that he would be playing one of the plaintiffs in “8” in NYC in September. I desperately wanted to see him in the show for a number of reasons, and I also wanted to bring him something to show him how proud his fans were of him for playing a role that is so close to his personal life. There was an idea at the time that maybe doing the show was a signifier of him making his private life a little more public. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure until practically the day before that I would actually be able to see the show, so there was no way for me to organize the scrapbook, not knowing if I’d even get to deliver it to him. I did get to go, but no scrapbook. And, Matt did not use that opportunity to make any “declaration.”
Flash forward to February 11th, 2012 and Matt received a fabulous award, honoring his charity work for AIDS research (among many other charities). As we all know, he thanked his lovely family at the end, including his partner Simon for the first time publicly (he had spoken of his children lovingly previously on the Today Show).
What was an amazing moment for Matt and his family (and the charity) turned into a media storm of articles saying that Matt had “come out”, had officially declared himself gay, etc. etc. and while most of the information in the articles were pretty much accurate, they were putting words in his mouth and certainly ignoring the fact that he had been honored with a wonderful award. We all know that Matt had never really been “in” but had been keeping his personal life just that: personal. That being said, it is likely that Matt is relieved that it’s “out” now, so he doesn’t have to dodge inappropriate questions anymore. But, I imagine that it has still been a difficult process to go through, especially since there are indeed some hurtful and plain dishonest articles on the internet and then, of course, some truly terrible comments left at the articles.
I was pretty upset about the whole thing and @sweetfedora (Shelby) contacted me and said, “Hey, remember that scrapbook idea you had? Maybe we should do it now!” Good idea, Sweets! I will visit Matt on the WC set in late March, and barring unforeseen inabilities to do so (including the possibility that they are filming out of the country until April), I will bring him this gift. If it can’t be delivered in March, I’ll get to him as soon as I can, but probably not until the 2nd or 3rd week in May.
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So! The details! Shelby and I will be creating the scrapbook through Shutterfly. It’ll be about 20 pages of 8x11” paper, with a hardcover. Each of you can submit content that is no more than 4x5” so that we can fit at least 2 fans per page. :)
Here is what to submit:
1) Letters:
Letters to Matt expressing what he means to you: hand-written would be really nice (as long as it’s legible)! You can scan in anything hand-written. Otherwise, typed. If you would like editorial help with your letter, just let us know. We do not want non-native English speakers to be deterred from writing to Matt.
Examples of acceptable content:
- Matt, I love and respect you. …
-You’re my favorite actor.…
-As a GLBTQ person, you inspire me and give me hope.…
-It pained me too see gossipy articles about you and your personal life.…
-Stay strong and who you are, which is who we love.…
-You are beautiful on the outside and on the inside…
Things we WILL NOT accept:
We will not include anything that is inappropriate about Matt’s looks (i.e.: focusing on his looks and not who IS as a person, or anything to do with him without clothing on). This is obviously a project for his most loving and well-meaning fans, but even well-meaning fans (myself included!) love to talk about how gorgeous Matt’s face and body is. This is not the place for that kind of commenting. This is pure <3 and admiration of Matt as a person and an actor and a role model, not as a sex symbol. If you are not sure if you are crossing the line, think this in your head: Would I feel comfortable reading this aloud to Matt? Would I feel comfortable seeing the look on Matt’s face when he read this? If not (either you or he or both would be embarrassed), do not include it.
Additionally, we will not accept anything that could be at all misconstrued as inappropriate about his partner or his children or his personal choices in his life. If tactful, you may mention his family, since that is sort of part of the point of this present. But be careful with your words.
We will be reviewing all of the letters. This is necessary in order to ensure that what we will be presenting is what we intended the scrapbook to be and that nothing inappropriate is being submitted. Please trust that we will not share any of what you submit to anyone except Matt. If you need further clarification on this, please email the contact address. We will help the best we can.
2) Pictures:
It’d be great to have pictures of Matt with you the fan (if you have had the opportunity to meet him). Otherwise, include a picture of yourself with a Matt item, like something from White Collar or holding up your favorite picture of him next to you! (Just as with the letters, the pictures need to be appropriate. Matt should not be shirtless in any of the pics, for example.)
And/Or
3) Creative:
If you don’t have a picture you feel comfortable sharing, that’s okay. You could make a small piece of art, or even a poem. Show him something from your heart and how much you care. Otherwise, it is okay to just share the letter. :)
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COST: This project will cost close to $30. We are going to order it on a day that Shutterfly offers a discount code. We *hope* the timing will work out where we can get a discount, so that the cost will be closer to $20 or $25. If anyone sees a Groupon or the like, let us know!
Also: IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO HELP PAY FOR THIS, please consider a $1-$2 donation. We would greatly appreciate it. IF YOU CANNOT, no problem! :) Please don’t feel you have to, but it would be helpful.
(If you can donate, when you send in your scrapbook contribution, please state that you can contribute financially, and Laura will email you her personal email address so that you can PayPal her the donations. Thanks!)
How to submit: Please email your content to bomerfanscrapbook@gmail.com
Deadline for submission: March 4th, 12pm EST
Request: We want this to be a special surprise for Matt and would really like to get the scrapbook to him in the time frame we have set up. So please DO NOT REBLOG THIS. We would like to put in the letters, pictures and art that are from his biggest fans: the fans that truly support Matt as a person and actor and not just as a sex symbol. Don’t get us wrong, we are not trying to discourage any specific people from taking part. We would just like to avoid having to throw out many inappropriate letters or pictures, and also there is only so much time both of us have to put together the scrapbook without an inundation from hundreds of fans. Thanks for your understanding!
Laura & Shelby
