Bwipo sparks more controversy following remarks on women in esports

Belgian League of Legends and current FlyQuest top laner Gabriël ‘Bwipo’ Rau is facing major backlash after stating that women should avoid playing competitive League during their periods.

Bwipo criticized for gender generalizing comments

In a live stream earlier today, Bwipo started discussing women in the competitive gaming scene. The pro player started off by complaining about the lack of support for female pros, hinting at the issues that have made it harder for women to pursue long-term careers in esports.

“I think there’s just not enough support for female pro players. Women’s anatomy and their monthly cycles are extremely different from males, and there is no proper support system for women to go through what they’re going through when it comes to competition, in my opinion, at least,” he started.

While the message seemed to be positive initially, the following comments were heavily criticized by the community, as he suggested women not play competitive video games while on their periods. “I think a lot of people, even men, get tilted out of their f**king minds when they play League of Legends. When a woman is on the wrong part of the month, for playing competitively… you know what I mean? There is a time of the month where you should not be playing competitive games as a woman in my opinion,” he said.

Bwipo explained his take comes from his own experience, adding that her ex-girlfriend was getting “super irritated at every little thing”. The top laner also suggested that female pros should “relax or do a bit more VOD reviewing” during periods and that they “don’t have as much room to be competitive” as those who do not go through that phase. “I don’t think it’s not possible, I just think it’s much harder. That’s my experience. I could be wrong,” he added.

The community calls Bwipo out

The player’s comments quickly blew up on social media, with several members of the LoL community challenging his take.

“Women being unable to play competitive games due to their periods is as dumb and dangerous of a take as I’ve seen in a while,” said LTA caster Isaac “Azael” Cummings-Bentley. “In my nearly 20 years in esports I’ve met some of the most calm and logical women, and some of the most irrational and emotional men. I’ve also had the pleasure of playing w/ one of the GOATs of gaming Hafu who was dominating in a scene made up almost entirely of men. We need to stop these dangerous generalizations against a group of people that’s already struggling to get opportunities in a space that’s dominated by men. These types of takes just help to further reinforce peoples biases against women & only serve to reduce the opportunities they receive as a result. Judge people by their individual character and merit and stop the stereotyping.”

Esports host Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere, as one of the main female representatives in the esports scene, called Bwipo out on TikTok: “That’s such a crazy take, because what do you think women do? Women are on their period bleeding buckets, having extreme pains… they’re extremely tired and lethargic, but they’re out there breaking Olympic records… they’re out there putting in 24-hour shifts as a nurse.

But a game of League? Woah! Hold the phone. …also, the notion that men aren’t emotional in games of League? …I think it’s quite ignorant to say this and to frame this as such, because that is dangerous rhetoric. You need to see the bigger picture and the harm this rhetoric does to women.

Many other members have been making fun of the comments by meme’ing on socials:

You cant be a pro player

But you can be a doctor, lawyer, scientist, athlete.

Makes sense

— Veigarv2 (@Veigar_v2) September 9, 2025

Bwipo has been making several headlines in the past week after having drama unfold between himself and 100 Thieves top laner Dhokla during the LTA Regional Championship. In a video he posted on his YouTube channel today, Bwipo said he was diagnosed with a hypomanic episode at Worlds 2024. Streamer Nick “LS” De Cesare was the first to notice something was wrong and alerted others, which got Bwipo professional help and is now also being monitored by his therapist.

FlyQuest punishes Bwipo by suspending him for the upcoming match

After being aware of the situation and acknowledging the matter, FlyQuest has officially issued a one-match suspension for Bwipo. The public statement reads as follows:

“Recently, Bwipo made sexist comments that are antithetical to FlyQuest’s core values. Every day, we try to make the gaming space better and that includes helping anyone with a passion for competition reach the highest possible levels of play. That’s why we’re so proud of the RED program and our work to elevate diverse and underserved communities across gaming. Comments that might discourage even one young woman from pursuing her dream of becoming a pro player harm the future of esports, and we take that very seriously. While our first impulse is to educate when clearly ignorant comments like this are made, accountability is also a core value of our organization. As a result, we will be suspending Bwipo from play for the next series in the LTA playoffs and donating his event prize money to causes that support women in gaming.”

This means that the player will not be playing in the upcoming series against the LTA South team Vivo Keyd Stars in the upper bracket of the regional championship. In his stead, Turkish player İbrahim “Gakgos” Samet Bulut will be the starting top laner. Initially joining in April earlier this year, the 17-year-old only played two official games in the third split, with one win and one loss against Disguised and Shopify Rebellion, respectively.

Considering LTA South’s record in past cross-conference matches, FlyQuest shouldn’t be affected much by Bwipo’s absence, although the ongoing drama can be a difference maker as the team heads into Worlds.

Following the team’s decision, Bwipo also made a public apology, stating that his comments “were ignorant and disrespectful to women, including those close to me.”

Hi everyone, I know I fucked up. My comments were ignorant and disrespectful to women, including those close to me.

I’m sorry to those I hurt. I regret using my platform to fuel vitriol and sexism instead of support, and I’ll be taking steps to reflect, listen, and do better.

— Bwipo (@Bwipo) September 10, 2025

Bwipo’s ex-girlfriend also shared her thoughts, claiming that “he knows it’s a s**t take and that despite what he said on stream, “he’s not a sexist person.”

To end all the fking speculations : me and Gabriel have not been together for a long time.

It sucks to be put as example for "why women can't play competitive" especially by someone I lived with since "he could tell when I'm on period".

— L. (@AdorableCarry) September 9, 2025

(Updated with FlyQuest’s decision, Bwipo’s public apology, and more context in the last paragraph.)