"White Collar" Actor Matt Bomer Comes Out as Gay

It's been something of an open secret in the entertainment industry that White Collar actor Matt Bomer has been a long-term relationship with publicist Simon Halls, with whom he is also raising three children. Though he's made public appearances with his sons before, Bomer and Halls have not yet acknowledged their relationship in the press, but this weekend Bomer thanked his entire family by name when receiving an award onstage from the Desert AIDS Project.

Said Bomer while accepting the award, "I'd really like to thank my beautiful family: Simon, Kit, Walker, Henry.  Thank you for teaching me what unconditional love is.  You will always be my proudest accomplishment." You can watch Bomer's acceptance speech below.

Since he did not refer to Halls as his partner or husband, and the award show was not televised, it may be a matter of some debate as to whether this qualifies Bomer as "officially out." Several years ago, actress Jodie Foster quietly made headlines when she thanked "my beautiful Cydney" in an untelevised award acceptance speech, but hasn't commented on her personal life as openly since then.  It was widely believed that Foster was referring to her reported long term partner at the time, Cydney Bernard.

Bomer hasn't shown any reluctance to take on gay roles however, and many of the projects he has tackled have genunine emotional and political resonance for the LGBT community. He was recently announced to be part of the cast for the film adaptation of The Normal Heart, which examines the early days of HIV/AIDS advocacy.  He also portrayed one half of a gay couple in the New York staging of Dustin Lance's Black's 8, which dramatizes the court proceedings around Proposition 8 in California, and will again for the show's upcoming Los Angeles performance.  In a recent OK! Magazine article, Bomer also expressed as desire to portray closeted gay actor Montgomery Cliff in a biopic.  

GLAAD thanks Bomer for his continuing contributions to LGBT media and wishes he and his family the best.