The Pentagon has taken aim at Netflix following the release of Boots, a queer military drama, accusing the streaming giant of promoting what it calls “woke garbage”.
In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson criticised Boots for having what he described as an “ideological agenda” and stated that the U.S. military does not support the series.
Boots stars 13 Reasons Why actor Miles Heizer as Cameron Cope, a closeted teenager who enlists in the U.S. Marine Corps in search of meaning and belonging. Set in 1990, the show portrays Cope’s experience in boot camp alongside best friend Ray (played by newcomer Liam Oh), highlighting the challenges of homophobia within the military at the time.
During that era, being gay in the U.S. armed forces was still illegal. The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy introduced under President Bill Clinton remained in place until it was officially repealed in 2011, allowing LGBTQ+ individuals to serve openly.
Wilson condemned the series and Netflix’s broader content direction, saying:
“Under President Trump and Secretary [Pete] Hegseth, the U.S. military is getting back to restoring the warrior ethos. Our standards across the board are elite, uniform, and sex neutral because the weight of a rucksack or a human being doesn’t care if you’re a man, a woman, gay, or straight.”
He further accused the streaming platform of pushing an agenda:
“We will not compromise our standards to satisfy an ideological agenda, unlike Netflix whose leadership consistently produces and feeds woke garbage to their audience and children.”
The controversy comes amidst wider right-wing criticism of LGBTQ+ representation in entertainment. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has also come under fire for comments suggesting that the Trump administration is striving to uphold the “highest male standard” in the armed forces.
In August, a Trump-signed executive order led to the dismissal of transgender individuals from all branches of the military, on the grounds that their identity was deemed “incompatible with active duty”.
Netflix has been the target of multiple conservative-led boycotts over its LGBTQ+ inclusive content. In September, Elon Musk tweeted that he had cancelled his subscription after right-wing account Libs of TikTok resurfaced clips from the now-cancelled series Dead End: Paranormal Park.
His action was echoed by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who also cancelled her subscription following the resurfacing of a five-year-old clip from The Baby-Sitters Club, which featured a transgender storyline.
