Writer Greg Cope White turned his experiences as a closeted gay man in Marine Corps boot camp into a memoir, The Pink Marine, which has now been adapted into Netflix’s Boots, starring Miles Heizer.
“I create work that mixes humor, heart, and honesty,” says White, teasing that he’s working on another book. It’s “surreal” that such a personal “story I wrote alone at my desk” has become a Netflix show. White says, that gives “people who may never have seen themselves represented a chance to feel seen.”
White didn’t know how to be a Marine (or an author) and still did both anyway — crediting his best friend and partner of 17 years (“the best man on Earth; fight me”) and Norman Lear’s mentorship (Boots was the legendary producer’s final TV project) for making it possible.
White’s heard that “this world wasn’t made for you” plenty of times but also recalls “the feeling of marching into that world anyway, determined to take my place.” Ultimately, he’s committed to creating even more art “that entertains and reminds people life is ridiculous but survivable.” @eatgregeat
