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Title: LoL esports team suspends player for saying women can't compete while
menstruating

Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2025 12:00:45 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/gaming/lol-esports-t...

A popular League of Legends esports player, Bwipo, has been suspended by his
organization after he said on a Twitch stream that women shouldn't be playing
competitively while menstruating. Bwipo, whose real name is Gabriël Rau,
told viewers on a Twitch stream: "I think there's just not enough support for
female pro players... women's anatomy and their monthly cycles are just
extremely different from males, and there's no proper support system for
women to go through what they're going through." And before he mentioned
women's anatomies, some viewers were probably thinking that he was going to
talk about how there should be more support for women in esports. But then he
continued:

"...even men just tilt out of their fΓÇöing minds when they're playing League
of Legends. So, when a woman is on the wrong part of the month and playing
competitively, there is a time of the month where you should not be fΓÇöing
playing competitive games as a woman, in my opinion." He justified his
statement by saying that it's based on his experience "living with one for a
while." He claimed the woman he lived with played League of Legends made it
"really obvious when she was just getting irritated at every stupid little
thing." Bwipo added: "This is not me trying to be sexist or anything." His
video circulated on Reddit, but it's no longer available.

In a response to his statement posted on TikTok, the host and co-creator of
League Awards, Eefje "sjokz" Depoorter, criticized and opposed his views. "I
thought we're past that," she said about Bwipo calling a woman's period the
"wrong" time of the month. "That's such a crazy take," sjokz continued,
talking about how women make Olympic records, climb mountains, work 24-hour
shifts, are providers for their children, and care for the elderly, all while
bleeding buckets and experiencing pain. "Also the notion that men aren't
emotional in games of League..." she trailed off and made a sound.

Bwipo's organization, FlyQuest, then posted an announcement on X,
acknowledging that he "made sexist comments" and that they were
"antithetical" to its core values. "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," it wrote. FlyQuest has decided
to suspend "Bwipo from play for the next series in the LTA playoffs," which
he's currently in. The organization is also donating his prize money from the
event to causes that support women in gaming. To note, FlyQuest has an
esports team called Red that showcases "women and gender expansive folks in
gaming."

After FlyQuest's announcement, Bwipo posted an apology on X, admitting
wrongdoing. "IΓÇÖm sorry to those I hurt," he wrote. "I regret using my
platform to fuel vitriol and sexism instead of support."

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

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

ΓÇö Bwipo (@Bwipo) September 10, 2025

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/lol-esports-t...
women-cant-compete-while-menstruating-120045752.html?src=rss

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