Bwipo, an esports player and streamer, sparked outrage on social media after making sexist comments during a stream on September 9. The Belgian pro gamer, whose real name is Gabriël Rau, plays as a League of Legends top laner for gaming organization FlyQuest, as per Sports Illustrated. The gamer, who has been a pro since 2017, was involved in the League of Legends Championship of The Americas (LTA) 2025 when he offered a sexist take on gaming.
According to Dexerto, Bwipo initially opined about the lack of backing for female players during a stream, referring to their anatomical differences from male players. The pro gamer said,
“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.”
However, the Belgian pro’s tirade was peppered with sexist assumptions, as he, as per Dexerto, added,
“I think a lot of people, even men, get tilted out of their f***ing 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.”
New Era of League
— Bwipo (@Bwipo) September 5, 2025
Flyquest x Von Dutch https://t.co/W1hy1li9HC pic.twitter.com/gdxM8rDCdS
Sports Illustrated reported that Bwipo seemed to offer a personalized take on the issue as he said,
“I've lived with one for a while. She played a lot of League ranked. It was just like, it was really obvious when she was just getting irritated at every stupid little thing.”
While making an exaggerated assumption about women playing “mental sports,” the streamer, according to Sports Illustrated, also remarked,
“Competition isn't gonna schedule around your period. You don't have as much room to be competitive. I don't think it's not possible, I just think it's harder...ultimately, this is the truth in all sports, and all mental sports…this is not me trying to be sexist or anything.”
Bwipo’s comments faced outrage on social media from netizens as well as from other players and commentators. The Belgian pro was also suspended by FlyQuest. In a post on X, FlyQuest addressed Bwipo’s comments and wrote,
“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.”
While emphasizing its commitment to filter opinions which seek to discourage women from taking up esports, FlyQuest added,
“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.”
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.
— FlyQuest (@FlyQuest) September 9, 2025
That’s why we’re so proud of the RED…
While responding to the issue, FlyQuest also brought attention to its own initiatives such as the all-female RED roster, which have been put in place to encourage gender parity in gaming.
In wake of the backlash, Bwipo took to his X account to pen an apology and admitted that he had disrespected women. He also pledged that he intended to "do better" in the future.
TOPICS: Bwipo, League of Legends