AJ Lamarque Went From ‘Gays Don’t Play Sports’ To Winning An Award For Basketball
Sydney comedian AJ Lamarque is known for his stand-up and mockumentary The Gays, not necessarily his athletic skills. “I’m a comedian by trade, and generally we don’t have the reputation of being sporty people!” he mentioned in a chat with Outsports. Despite this, Lamarque recently received the Positive Media Award at the Australian Pride in Sport Awards in Melbourne for his work promoting LGBTQIA+ inclusive basketball.
His connection to basketball began unexpectedly. Inspired by watching Space Jam back in 1996 and wanting to try the sport again as an adult, he discovered the Sydney Spectres, an LGBTQIA+ basketball club, at Mardi Gras Fair Day last year. He decided to attend a training session alone and found himself drawn into the community.
Lamarque started sharing his experiences online, simply documenting his return to the court. This led Basketball NSW to invite him to be an ambassador for their community inclusion efforts and annual Pride tournament. The award nomination came as a complete surprise. “I was never intending to be a ‘figure’ in the sporting space,” he told Outsports, adding he was so unprepared he had to improvise his acceptance speech.
What makes the Spectres special for Lamarque is the environment. It offers a space to play competitively without the isolating culture he remembers from school PE. “A year ago… I was firmly in the camp of ‘gay people don’t play sports, that’s a straight person thing’,” he admits. He realised he’d avoided sports due to negative past experiences, a common story for many queer individuals who faced hostility in school sports programs.
Lamarque emphasizes that adults can create their own sporting cultures. “It’s a net and a ball. They hold no judgment. We get to set the culture,” he states. The Spectres demonstrated that sport itself isn’t inherently exclusive; the community defines the atmosphere.
He’s quick to manage expectations about his own skills, however. “I’m much better than I was when I started… but I’m still a beginner,” he says honestly. “So if you ever see me on court, don’t be shocked when you see me tank a lay-up!”
His inspiration comes less from professional athletes and more from the grassroots level. “The people who inspire me the most are those that run community clubs,” Lamarque explained to Outsports, appreciating the volunteers who dedicate time to creating these spaces. He believes you don’t need existing skills or extensive knowledge of pro leagues to play socially. Being introduced to basketball via Space Jam is, for him, “enough of a reason to play.”
His background in comedy helps his message connect. His followers, not necessarily sports enthusiasts, might relate to his perspective of initially seeing sports as something “other.” By sharing his experience of rediscovering sport, AJ Lamarque shows that inclusive communities can change perceptions and make space for everyone on the court.
