Netflix’s new series Boots, which started streaming on October 9, 2025, is more than just a fictional story. The show is based on the inspirational real-life experiences of Greg Cope White, a former U.S. Marine who enlisted as a closeted gay teenager at a time when homosexuality was banned in the military. His 2016 memoir, The Pink Marine, details his journey and serves as the direct inspiration for this eight-episode limited series.
The show follows a young recruit, Cameron Cope, as he navigates the extreme challenges of Marine Corps boot camp while hiding his true identity. Set in 1990, three years before the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, the series explores the personal costs of policies that force people to hide who they are.
The Real Person and His Memoir
The story begins with Greg Cope White, who joined the Marines in 1979. He did not grow up dreaming of military service but was looking for structure and a place to belong. His childhood involved moving through 13 schools in 11 years. He was aware of his sexuality from a young age but felt society offered him no place for it.
His entry into the Marines was as dramatic as it was unconventional. He was 13 pounds under the minimum weight requirement. His recruiter took him to a hardware store, taped a flattened lead pipe to his crotch to add weight, and drove him back to the recruiting office to pass the physical. Just hours later, he was at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island, South Carolina, with a shaved head, wondering what he had done.
White’s time in the Marines was a paradox. It was a place that demanded conformity but ultimately gave him the confidence to become himself. He learned discipline, built stamina, and earned a rare meritorious promotion. He served for six years, hiding his sexuality the entire time, before choosing not to reenlist.
“I didn’t know it at the time, but they gave me the confidence to become myself,” White said. “Ironically, the Marines gave me the confidence to come out.”
From Book to Screen: The Adaptation Process
The creator of the Netflix series, Andy Parker, had a deep personal connection to White’s story. As a closeted gay teen himself, Parker had once seriously considered joining the Marines, even bringing a recruiter home to convince his parents. He ultimately did not enlist, but reading The Pink Marine felt like seeing “the road not taken.”
Parker adapted the memoir with creative freedom, crafting a fictionalized version of White’s journey. He made it clear to White from the start that he would not be telling his life story exactly but would create a new character, Cameron Cope, who would go on his own journey.
“For me, there was a time when I thought that was the answer,” Parker said. “So when I got Greg’s book, it felt like watching the road not taken.”
The series shifts the setting from 1979 to 1990 to place the story just before the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was instituted. This allowed the show to explore the tension of an era on the brink of change. To ensure authenticity, the production involved multiple Marine veterans as advisors and sent the cast through a condensed boot camp experience in the Louisiana heat.
The Heart of the Story: Friendship and Identity
A central element faithfully brought from the memoir to the screen is the profound platonic friendship between the main character and his straight best friend. In real life, White’s friend was named Dale; in the series, he is Ray McAffey, played by Liam Oh.
The show focuses on the deep, non-romantic love between these two characters, a bond that becomes a refuge and a source of strength. This relationship was crucial to White and is a key emotional anchor of the series.
“The first thing that grabbed my attention about the pilot when I got the script was this really nuanced and tender and deep love that exists between these two men,” said actor Liam Oh. “They are not attracted to each other. They just love each other.”
The series also widens its lens to show the diverse backgrounds and personal struggles of other recruits in the platoon, exploring the different reasons people enlist and the various burdens they carry.
A Legacy Project with Personal Connections
Boots is one of the final projects executive produced by the legendary television producer Norman Lear, who passed away in 2023. The connection adds a layer of legacy to the series. Decades earlier, Lear had given White his first big break in television writing. Their shared veteran status—Lear served in the Army Air Forces during World War II—created a unique bond.
For the cast, the story was equally impactful. Miles Heizer, who plays the lead role of Cameron Cope, found it easy to connect with the character’s experience. Heizer came out at age 19 and understood the struggle of self-discovery.
“Sadly, it’s so easy for me to jump back there,” Heizer said. “The interesting thing is this conundrum of learning all these new things about yourself at the cost of hiding this other part of yourself.”
Greg Cope White served as a co-executive producer on the series and even wrote the fourth episode, “Sink or Swim.” His involvement helped ensure the emotional truth of his experience was woven throughout the show, making Boots a personal and authentic story of finding the courage to be yourself.
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Credits: Netflix
