“Woke Garbage”: Pentagon Blasts Netflix’s New Gay Military Series

The Pentagon has spoken out against Netflix’s new military drama Boots, saying it does not support how life in the Marines is shown in the show.

The series, which stars Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga, has been trending on Netflix since its release on October 9. But not everyone is happy about it. In a statement shared with Entertainment Weekly, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson criticized the show and its message.

“Under President Trump and Secretary [Pete] Hegseth, the U.S. military is getting back to restoring the warrior ethos,” Wilson said.

“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.”

Wilson went on to accuse Netflix 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,” he added.

Boots is based on the memoir The Pink Marine by former Marine Greg Cope White. The story follows a closeted gay teen who joins his straight best friend at Marine boot camp, where they face a tough and old-school sergeant. At the same time, his mother, played by Farmiga, struggles to understand what’s happening back home.

Miles Heizer, who plays the lead role, said he personally connected with the story. In an interview with Variety, he shared, “I had a very, unfortunately, classic gay coming-out story. It was a nightmare, and everyone was upset.”

He added, “I’m lucky my sister, who’s my best friend, could not have cared less and was very there for me. My friends around me were super-supportive, and things have gotten so much better in that regard with my family over the years. But at the time, I definitely had the old Christian upbringing.”

The show has drawn attention not only for its subject matter but also because of recent actions by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. A former Fox News personality, Hegseth has faced backlash for removing the name of Harvey Milk, a gay rights icon, from a Navy ship and for trying to remove transgender service members. He has also been vocal about his goal to end what he calls “woke culture” in the military.

Boots continues to get mixed reactions, sparking conversations about representation, politics, and the line between entertainment and reality.

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