I joined the 501st the day I turned 18. It was a huge day for me. After years of being in the organization, I realized that the leadership cultivated bullying, sexual harassment, and embezzled so much money that should’ve gone to charity. I left immediately.

I’m glad many of these issues are finally surfacing, but I really doubt anything will change. I wanted to share this as a heads up to any aspiring 501st members. Build your costume, have your fun, but steer clear of that organization. Especially if you are a young woman.

The fact that people are so genuinely shocked by these statements should tell you how hard the 501st leadership works to cover up conflict and abuse.

For those who want to express their fandom through costuming, you can absolutely do that without being affiliated with an organization. There are plenty of ways to support charities through cosplay. Building costumes gave me a huge sense of accomplishment for many years!