RCF Pride Deadlift Party 2026
I had the pleasure of photographing the Rain City Fit Pride Deadlift Party this year, in which the team from my home gym, the GLSC Love Bugs, also participated and crushed it! This day was so special, filled with incredible feats of athleticism, performances by some of the best Queens in the business, and the most incredible community support. I found myself grinning from ear to ear the entire time I was editing the photos because of how much joy and celebration was captured. Special thanks to my other event photographers, especially our amazingly talented head photographer Kestrel Bailey (find her here! https://www.kestrelbailey.com/) who kept us all organized and hydrated.
So many PRs, even more Fun
That was cheesy, but I’m not mad about it. I could not believe how much people lifted. The cool thing about that is that all the lifters aimed to fundraise $1 for every pound they deadlifted. That ended up translating that to over $50,000 raised for LGBTQIA+ nonprofits!
Le, the incredible person behind the Pride Deadlift Party!
5 years in and stronger than ever
This was the 5th year of the Pride Deadlift Party in Seattle, which has gotten bigger and bigger every single year. Other cities, including New York and Nashville, are popping up and showing out as well. What an incredible honor to be a tiny part of such a legendary event and community. Hope you enjoy the photos as much as I did. Here are some of my highlights:
Adaptive athlete Stacy Robinson (Instagram @stacy.adaptiveathlete) absolutely smashing her PR and lifting 425lbs
Running into an old coworker who just happened to lift on my platform
Meeting all the other photographers and event volunteers
Climbing up on a table to get a special vantage point of the crowd cheering for their friends
All the drag performances, seriously some of the best I have ever seen!
GLSC Love Bug, Jess, smashing her lift at the Pride Deadlift Party!