Andy Parker: BOOTS on Netflix, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell & Queer Storytelling

Send us Fan MailEver felt the pressure to hide your true self just to belong? On this week’s BabyGay™ Podcast, host PJ Brescia (they/them) sits down with Andy Parker (he/him) writer, creator and co-showrunner of Netflix’s new queer drama BOOTS. Inspired by Greg Cope White’s memoir The Pink Marine, BOOTS follows a gay recruit navigating Marine Corps boot camp before “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”—a story that’s funny, harrowing, and deeply human.Andy shares how his own closeted 90s adolescence shaped the series, why secrecy harms both people and institutions, and what it took to bring BOOTS to life with Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga in starring roles. We talk Norman Lear’s early blessing, building military accuracy with real Marines, surviving strike delays, and the advice Andy would give his “baby self.”BOOTS premieres October 9, 2025 on Netflix.Links:📺 Watch BOOTS on Netflix 📖 Read The Pink Marine by Greg Cope White Follow @NetflixBabyGay™ Podcast, a 2026 Webby Honoree for Best New Podcast, is released every Thursday and hosted by PJ Brescia (they/them)—a 2025 Out100 honoree—celebrating queer stories, self-discovery, and the power of authenticity.Produced by Tom Gault and PJ Brescia. Special thanks to The Black Cat.Follow, like, and subscribe on TikTok , Instagram , and YouTube: @babygaytvwww.baby.gay