The Pentagon has criticised Netflix for producing 'woke garbage' following the release of the hit gay military drama Boots. The show, based on Greg Cope White's 2015 memoir The Pink Marine, follows a closeted teenager who joins the United States Marine Corps in the 1990s.
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson stated: 'Under president Trump and secretary [Pete] Hegseth, the US 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 added that the military would not compromise standards to satisfy an 'ideological agenda', accusing Netflix of producing 'woke garbage'.
The show has been praised by critics, with The Guardian calling it 'incredibly powerful' and The Hollywood Reporter noting it is 'critical of the military’s 1990s-era anti-gay policies' yet 'respectful of the military in many ways'. Miles Heizer, the gay actor playing the lead, said the show's relevance to current events was unintended but 'upsetting'.
The criticism comes amid a broader backlash against Netflix's diverse content. Earlier this month, Elon Musk urged users to cancel subscriptions over a transgender character in Dead End: Paranormal Park. In June, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the removal of Harvey Milk's name from a US Navy ship, citing a need to 're-establish warrior culture'.
Netflix remains the market leader in streaming, with 301.6 million paid users globally. The Pentagon is also facing scrutiny for new policies requiring reporters to sign agreements that news organisations say limit journalistic quality.
