Behind BOOTS, Netflix's Hit Show: The Beautiful Story of a Gay Teenage Marine - When It Was Illegal!

In this powerful episode, author, TV writer and Marine veteran Greg Cope White shares his inspiring coming-of-age story — from joining the Marine Corps as a gay teenager when it was still illegal, to transforming that experience into the bestselling memoir The Pink Marine and the Netflix series Boots. He opens up about identity, belonging, resilience, allyship, military culture, and the universal journey of becoming who you really are.

Chapters:
00:00 The transformative story behind Netflix's Boots
01:39 Greg Cope White: From Marine to bestselling author to Netflix creator
04:20 Joining the Marines as a gay teenager when it was illegal
06:09 Boot camp, friendship, and leaving with the title U.S. Marine
12:25 The harsh 13-week transformation at Marine boot camp
18:49 Using humor to survive extreme environments
20:21 Finding unexpected acceptance and brotherhood
21:13 What he'd tell his 19-year-old self before signing up
23:06 LGBTQ+ rights in the military
24:22 Advice for young people considering military service today
27:17 Creating the Boots TV show & adapting the memoir
29:57 Casting Miles Heizer and bringing the story to life
31:02 The power of storytelling to make people feel seen
35:02 Allyship, friendship & the people who change our lives
54:40 Parenting fears & supporting kids through their own “forge”
55:38 Final advice + why you should “Hire a veteran”

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“Getting Open w/ Andrea Miller” is a podcast aimed at helping people truly open up to one another and themselves by digging into hard truths and varying perspectives. This show offers expert-approved relationship advice through vulnerable stories, dynamic discussions, and inspiring insights.

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