Collective of Lady Arm Wrestlers

CLAW USA, aka Collective of Lady Arm Wrestlers, is an alliance of theatrical lady arm wrestlers fighting for social justice. Founded in 2011 with a mission to "empower women and strengthen local communities through theater, arm wrestling and philanthropy," CLAW USA offers resources, education, and mentorship to women-led arm wrestling leagues.

The CLAW movement is spreading like wildfire because it empowers women and literally embodies third-wave feminism. CLAW events are raucously fun, funny and supportive places for women of all backgrounds to channel creativity through their fictional personas while exploring and exploding ideas of gender roles and identities. With humor and guts, CLAW women confront stereotypes, power dynamics, and notions of competition and competitiveness. This cathartic platform also serves as a burlesque in one of its classic definitions--a forum for discussion of current events through satire.

In just 2 years, CLAW USA has supported the startup of more than 24 leagues across the United States. These leagues touch thousands of people in their communities, galvanizing them through the theater of CLAW events around critical social justice issuesincluding: LGBTQ advocacy, women’s rights, children’s advocacy, breastfeeding and more.