Is Sullivan gay in Boots on Netflix? His secret past explained

13 October 2025, 16:21 | Updated: 14 October 2025, 15:07

By Sam Prance

Max Parker's character Sergeant Liam Robert Sullivan has a pretty extensive backstory and it involves Major Wilkinson.

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If you've started Boots on Netflix, you may be wondering if Sergeant Liam Robert Sullivan is gay and what he's hiding.

Loosely based on Greg Cope White's memoir The Pink Marine, Netflix's new series Boots tells the story of a closeted gay teenager named Cameron Cope who enlists in the marines in the 1990s with his best friend Ray McAffey. At the time, it was illegal to be openly gay in the US military and Boots explores the negative repercussions of that law.

Cameron Cope isn't the only Boots character with a secret though. At the end of episode 1, Max Parker's character Sergeant Liam Robert Sullivan is brought in as the new drill instructor for Cope's platoon and it quickly becomes evident that Sullivan is hiding a secret of his own. What did Sullivan do though? Scroll down to find out.

Read more: What does Semper Fi mean in English? Sullivan's tattoo in Boots explained

WARNING: Major Boots season 1 spoilers below

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Did Sullivan date Wilkinson in Boots?

Throughout Boots, Sullivan appears to treat Cope extra harshly for struggling with drill tasks. However, as the series goes on, Sullivan softens on Cope and we learn that he has his own secrets. In episode 5, Sullivan is questioned by legal authorities about his time as an officer in Guam and his relationship with Major Aaron Wilkinson.

Sullivan is asked if Wilkinson is a homosexual and he responds by saying: "I wouldn't know." Sullivan is also asked if he is a homosexual which he denies. He is then made to remove his blouse which reveals that he has the marines motto, "Semper fi" tattooed on his chest.

In episode 6, we discover that Sullivan got the tattoo as a matching tattoo with Wilkinson while they were in Guam together. Not only that but they had a secret sexual relationship together. Sullivan then ended the relationship because another officer told him that Wilkinson was gay and to stop hanging out with him.

On top of that, Sullivan decided to leave Guam and claimed that Wilkinson made a pass on him, likely making him complicit in the investigation surrounding Wilkinson.

Sullivan's story in Boots revolves around his guilt over his actions and internalised homophobia over his identity.

Read more: Boots season 2: Release date, cast, book spoilers and news about the Netflix show

Did Sullivan date Wilkinson in Boots? Picture: Netflix

Discussing Sullivan's plot, Max Parker, who is gay in real life, told Queerty: "I think the whole reason why he becomes a drill instructor is essentially to run away from his life, to get away from this thing that’s now chasing him. This is his moment to start a new life, almost, and use drilling as an outlet to just lock back into the Marines."

Max then added: "In his first introduction to his new platoon, he sees Cameron straight away, and it brings him back to the thing he’s running away from, which is why he feels so strongly about, one, not liking him, and two, trying to trying to get him to quit: “Don’t go through what I’ve gone through."