A secret history of gay people in the US military

A unique depiction of military life

Boots spotlights the courage and resilience of service members who have elevated an integral part of their identity to serve. Andy Parker’s Boots, a Netflix adaptation of Armistead Maupin’s LGBT literary masterpiece Tales of the City, is honest, comedic, and true to the spirit of Cope White’s book, which is more upbeat than pathetic. Miles Heiser stars as Cameron, a closeted gay teenager who, like Coop White, joins Marine Corps boot camp in a desperate effort to belong. “I know I’m a man, but society told me I was less than a man. [because of my sexuality]”I entered that environment to find my place in the masculine world, even if it was the hardest place to find it,” the author recalls.

But at the same time, the eight-part series makes major changes to the scope and setting of the books. While Cope White started his bootcamp in 1979, Boots moves the action to 1990, just four years before “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was introduced. If the series is renewed for more seasons, as Parker hopes, this move should provide plenty of dramatic bone to accompany other storylines. “The gay protagonist certainly has a secret that’s very high-stakes for him in that environment,” Parker says. “But the people he meets there also all have something they’re hiding or running away from. To me, that commonality felt like something interesting to explore.”

Getty Images

Despite its homosexual absurdity, this sense of absurdity reflects the desperately sad and destructive real-life situation for many military personnel. “Some of the former Marines who worked on this series [as historical advisers] Although they are not gay, they found these policies equally ridiculous [as their gay counterparts]Parker says they appeared to be “completely contrary to the social cohesion” at the core of military life, and that the cost of constant lying was the main reason he left the Marine Corps after six years. Cameron has to work through that throughout the series. “The Marine Corps is where you find your true self,” he says. That’s something I admire and have a lot of respect for. ”

I like it more this:

• 11 best TV shows to watch in October

• Did homosexual infidelity cause the 14th century royal crisis?

• The real family drama behind the Guinness House