The right's war against Netflix continues.
The Pentagon issued a statement criticizing the streamer's programming and leadership on Friday following an inquiry about Entertainment Weekly's new series “Boots.” While Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson's response did not directly address the gay military coming-of-age show, he did criticize Netflix for pursuing an “ideological agenda” that “feeds garbage to its audience and its children.”
“Under President Trump and Secretary [Pete] Hegseth, the U.S. military is restoring the warrior spirit,” Wilson's statement read. “Our standards across the board are elite, uniform, and gender-neutral because the weight of a backpack or a human being doesn't care if you are male, female, gay, or straight. “We will not compromise our standards to satisfy an ideological agenda, unlike Netflix, whose leadership constantly produces and feeds garbage to its audience and its children.”
The Trump administration's efforts to restore this “warrior ethic” so far have included banning transgender people from serving in the military, shaming senior military leaders and other service members, and declaring an end to “woke” culture and policies. The statement comes amid the Pentagon's move to enforce an unprecedentedly restrictive new media policy that labels basic reporting methods as criminal activity.
Based on Greg Cope White's 2016 memoir, “The Pink Marine,” “Boots” follows Cam Cope (Miles Heizer), a gay teenager who enlists in the Marine Corps at a time when being gay in the military was still a crime. Noting the show's current themes, Times television critic Robert Lloyd called it in his review a “perfectly decent, good-hearted and surprisingly sentimental miniseries.”
The show's creatives also worked closely with several consultants with past military experience to authentically portray the Marines and military life in the 1990s.
The Pentagon's criticism of Netflix follows a recent campaign led by billionaire Elon Musk asking people to cancel their subscriptions to the streaming service. Trump's on-again, off-again ally lashed out at Netflix on The show was canceled after the release of its second season in 2022.
Despite being the target of right-wing ire, Netflix also has a history of being criticized for its anti-trans programming. In 2021, transphobic comments made by comedian Dave Chappelle in his special “The Closer” sparked protests, strikes, and even the resignation of a trans employee. The streamer followed that up in 2022 by releasing a Ricky Gervais comedy special that also included transphobic material.
