Drawing from his own life as a closeted gay man serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Greg Cope White’s memoir, “The Pink Marine: One Boy’s Journey Through Boot Camp to Manhood,” has been transformed into the Netflix series “Boots.” Although the adaptation takes certain liberties — like altering the timeline, modifying characters, and widening its scope beyond the primary protagonist — it stays true to the memoir’s central themes.

We aren’t alone in our admiration for “Boots,” as it boasts an impressive 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Its popularity translates into viewership success as well, consistently remaining in Netflix’s top 10 TV shows since its release in multiple countries (source: FlixPatrol). Evidently, many viewers have been captivated by the series, leading fans to seek out similar content afterward.

While another series specifically about a gay teen joining the Marines might not exist, numerous shows feature queer characters navigating the coming out journey and facing societal challenges. For convenience, we’re keeping these suggestions limited to Netflix shows, so you won’t have to worry about your interest being piqued by a series unavailable on your current streaming service.

“Young Royals” unfolds in an elite boarding school attended by Swedish prince Wilhelm (played by Edvin Ryding). He develops a romantic connection with a male classmate, Simon Eriksson (Omar Rudberg), challenging both the school’s and the monarchy’s conventions. The most evident similarity between “Young Royals” and “Boots” is that both stories focus on young gay characters confronting their identities within rigid institutions.

“Young Royals” excels beyond many teen series (LGBTQ+ themed or otherwise) with its authentic portrayal of resolving conflicts. While many shows depict teens exacting elaborate revenge after minor upsets, the characters in “Young Royals” engage in conversations, build bridges, and resolve issues thoughtfully, reflecting Gen-Z values. It’s also worth highlighting that “Young Royals” received commendation for its cast appearing more natural, with occasional messy hair and imperfect skin, avoiding the overly polished look common in many productions.

Another relevant series set in a wealthy, conservative academic environment is “Élite.” Set in a prestigious high school in Spain, “Élite” initially follows three friends who feel out of place. Their enrollment is due to a settlement from a construction accident that destroyed their former school. Samuel (Itzan Escamilla), Nádia (Mina El Hammani), and Christian (Miguel Herrán) are soon reluctantly pulled into the intricate world of Las Encinas.

Among the large ensemble of “Élite” are what Gay Times calls, “some of television’s most beloved queer characters,” including the series on its list of the best LGBTQ shows on Netflix. Again, it’s not hard to draw a thematic through line between “Boots” and “Élite” given the age of its cast and the culture they find themselves at odds against. One of the things that makes “Élite” a little different from the other recommendations here is that there is also a murder mystery element that develops over the course of Season 1. Additionally, “Élite” lasted for eight seasons — more than double any other show on this list. 

Among seeing a title like “Sex Education,” many might assume it’s a raunchy comedy romp overly reliant on a shallow gimmick. While it doesn’t shy away from addressing the sex lives of its cast in comedic fashion, “American Pie: The TV Show” this is not. Instead, “Sex Education” is more about the intimacy issues that teenagers face as they are first learning how to become sexual beings, and how much trial and error — mostly error — is involved in that journey.

Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) happens to have a famous sex therapist for a mom (Gillian Anderson), though her preference for physical relationships rather than emotional ones doesn’t do Otis any favors in learning about true intimacy. But it doesn’t stop him from following in his mother’s footsteps by becoming an amateur sex therapist for his classmates. Among them are people all across the sexual spectrum, with much attention given to queer characters and their unique journeys. While it may not have stuck the landing in its messy, overly busy fourth season, “Sex Education” is still more than worth watching, especially its far tighter first three seasons. 

Those who enjoy “Boots” specifically because of its autobiographical nature should definitely check out “Special.” It even does “Boots” one better by having the person whose life it is based on play a fictionalized version of himself on the show. Further strengthening that connection, “Special” was also based on a memoir. Ryan O’Connell took his 2015 book “I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves,” which centers on his life as a gay man with cerebral palsy, and adapted it into “Special” where he plays Ryan Hayes, who shares similar experiences.

It might be easy to assume that Ryan is depicted as a sweet, kind man who just wants to be loved and to not be treated differently. But much of what makes the show brilliant is its portrayal of Ryan as an extremely flawed person, one who is often mean, selfish, and frequently self-sabotaging. In other words, he’s a human being. Ryan frequently clashes with those around him, especially his mother (Jessica Hecht) and best friend (Punam Patel), and O’Connell is not afraid to make it clear that his character is the one in the wrong in many of those interactions. All three actors received well-deserved Primetime Emmy nominations for their performances, while the show itself nabbed a nomination for outstanding short form comedy or drama series. 

Our last recommendation is another coming-of-age gay romance page-to-screen adaptation. Only, in the case of “Heartstopper,” the source material was a webcomic that was then released as a physical graphic novel. While its accuracy to the webcomic is a mixed bag, most of what Netflix’s “Heartstopper” does to differentiate itself is in service of a better TV show.

Nick and Charlie (Kit Konnor and Joe Locke, respectively) find themselves fast friends when they are seated next to one another. Charlie develops a crush on Nick, but figures his love will remain forever unrequited. But Nick soon finds that he might not be as straight as he once thought when his feelings for Charlie veer into the romantic. Even so, the two don’t just immediately begin to date — each has past trauma complicating their budding romance. 

Thankfully, said trauma isn’t especially heavy. LGBTQ romances deserve to have lighter, breezier watches without the doom and gloom that so often permeates these stories. Sometimes, you just want to see two guys fall in love and smile the whole way through, which is just what “Heartstopper” offers. That said, the show is still ongoing as of this writing, so a surprise sad ending could still be in the cards, but we highly doubt (nor want) it.