Bursting Through – Sharing Stories of the Queer/Straight Relationship
After hearing stories from people sharing how their relationships with queer family and friends impacted their lives, Steve Petersen found himself inspired. This led him to create Bursting Through–a member-supported, grassroots storytelling movement building the world’s largest library of stories celebrating the queer-straight relationship.
Founded in January 2020 and launching live in June 2021, Bursting Through provides a platform for the queer community and allies to share their stories and be heard. With a mission to “recycle hate into love through storytelling,” the organization presents these stories from its members.
“Every Bursting Through story looks at the queer/straight relationship through both lenses and uses both voices. We talk about our shared humanity but also talk about our differences. So many allies believe that the queer experience in this country is the same as the heterosexual experience except for “who a person loves,” Petersen said. “That is very open-hearted and well-intentioned but just not true. Bursting Through also talks about the differences in an emotionally mature way that opens up a dialogue that leads to deeper understanding.”
Celebrating Differences and Connecting People Through Stories
According to a recent Gallup poll from this past February, LGBTQ self-identifications have increased to 7.1%–doubled in the last decade from 3.1% in 2012. Gen Z leads all other generations in this identification, with 20.8%, followed by Millennials at 10.5%. With more people identifying themselves as LGBTQ+, this leads to an increased impact on their heterosexual friends and family.
“Bursting Through is a storytelling movement that connects the Queer Community and its allies.
Allies are rarely included in the conversation or the story, and it’s their stories too,” Petersen said. “[We] believe that allies want to be more involved and want to show up for their queer loved ones in a significant way but often don’t know how. Talking about the differences in the narrative advances the conversation and leads to action.”
Petersen explained that at the end of every Bursting Through story, you are left with knowledge and power and a way to be a better ally.
How Bursting Through Presents Its Collection of Stories
Bursting Through presents stories in various ways, from digital media to print. The main platform for these stories is the organization’s interactive digital magazine–Bursting Through Connections–which publishes quarterly. The September issue is available for $10 on the website, as well as the June and March issues.
Petersen shared that the Las Vegas PRIDE magazine also publishes Bursting Through stories every two months. Additionally, new information, easy activism tips, and communication on what Bursting Through is doing weekly are available on its social media platforms.
Membership Tiers
To share a story, one just needs to sign up to join the Bursting Through movement by selecting one of the three membership tiers offered:
- Stardust: Free
- Starburst: $10, $25, or $50 per month
- Supernova: $100, $500, $1,000 one time.
“Stardust members help build community and build the brand through their participation. Starburst and Supernova are both paid memberships that help Bursting Through create new content and expand to new media channels,” Petersen explained. “It costs money to produce stories for YouTube, the magazine, social media, and to run a media company. Bursting Through stories are from members and about members, and those memberships help us create new stories and move Bursting Through forward.”
Join the movement by signing up for one of these membership options here.
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The Inspiration Behind Bursting Through
A culmination of many things and many people around Petersen’s 50th birthday is ultimately what led him to develop Bursting Through.
The main catalyst of inspiration was the story of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man murdered in a hate crime, and the resulting Foundation that his parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard, created in his name and honor.
Inspired by the connection he felt with Shepard and his parents’ life of activism in the wake of his death, Petersen created a fundraiser for The Matthew Shepard Foundation for his 50th birthday. This family-friendly event, “Skate Against Hate,” prompted people to reach out to Petersen and share stories with him about how having a queer loved one shaped their lives.
“A high school buddy reached out to tell me that one of his sons is gay, and he had learned a lot about love and life from him. Another high school friend told me for many years, he thought all gay people should burn in hell, but through experience and personal growth, [he] learned differently. A college friend told me about her favorite uncle who was lost during the AIDS epidemic,” Petersen said. “These stories planted the seed that grew to be Bursting Through because I knew these stories had to be told; I just didn’t know how to tell them yet. Eventually, I found a way, and that became Bursting Through.”
Moreover, Petersen was inspired by activists like Judy Shepard and by friends around him who had amazing stories of compassion, empathy, and love that needed to be put into the world.
Steve Petersen’s Journey in Creating The Organization
Per Petersen’s bio, “Steve’s 27-year career in marketing and visual merchandising took him on a journey from rural Iowa to Fortune 500 companies in Manhattan. While his professional success informed much of his life’s work, it was the journey of coming out in his mid-20s that cemented his core values of compassion, courage, and change. These values are the heartbeat of the Bursting Through Movement. With Bursting Through, Steve is on a mission to recycle hate into love through the power of storytelling.”
When asked what he’s learned through his work creating this organization and movement, Petersen shared that he’s learned a lot.
“More than I could convey, but what stands out is how much allies want to show up for their LGBTQ+ loved ones in a real way but often don’t know how,” he said. “Bursting Through makes that easier.”
Bursting Through in the Community
Since its founding, Bursting Through has been active in the community by developing relationships with the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.
“I just delivered Activating Allyship, A Storytelling Workshop presented by Bursting Through at the [recent] Nevada State Democratic Convention in Reno. Every month, I am at First Friday Las Vegas,” Petersen said. “I also do many events around the city with like-minded businesses.”
Petersen further stated that Bursting Through believes in coalitions and that we are stronger together.
“I have worked with organizations like The LGBTQ+ Family Connections Center of the upper midwest, Dr. Shannon Wong-Lerner, Bold Media, Las Vegas PRIDE, Henderson Pride, the LGBTQ+ Center of Southern Nevada, The Des Moines Register, and the Business Record, to name a few,” he said.
Bursting Through’s Challenges
In creating the organization, Petersen faced a major challenge early on: dealing with the pandemic.
“Bursting Through was two weeks away from a campaign photo shoot that would lead to the website being built and the company launching when the world shut down,” he explained. “The pandemic delayed Bursting Through about a year, but we are here now and making an impact.”
Once the organization officially launched, Bursting Through faced a new, ongoing challenge.
“We live in such a hurried and put-upon world that well-intentioned, open-hearted, loving people often don’t have the time to connect in a meaningful way,” Petersen said. “Bursting Through is making it easier for those people who have shared values to connect.”
Additionally, Petersen shared a couple of misconceptions that people initially have about Bursting Through, such as that it’s a non-profit (“it’s not”) and that it’s an LGBTQ+ company.
“I am a gay man, and it is my company, but this is not for the queer community exclusively,” he explained. “Bursting Through exists because of all the awesome allies that had amazing stories that needed to be told, and it’s for us.”
Despite all of the challenges Bursting Though faces, the goal has always remained the same–to create sustainable equality for the queer community.
“The way we get there is for both the queer community and its allies to live their values every day and vote their values when it’s time to vote,” Petersen said.
#GetinMotion With Bursting Through
With October being Pride Month in Las Vegas, it’s the perfect time to support Bursting Through and its mission. “If any of this connected with you, please join the movement at BurstingThrough.gay,” Petersen said.
For news about the organization and more, follow Bursting Through on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. You can also purchase merchandise on the organization’s online shop here.
People can visit the organization’s booth at the First Friday Festival this Friday, October 7th, from 5 to 11 pm.
For those that want Bursting Through to deliver Activating Allyship to their group or organization or a DEI program for their company, you can email Petersen at steve@burstingthrough.gay or reach him through the website.
Lastly, Petersen shared a couple of other ways for people to support the LGBTQ+ community.
“[Share] the stories, encouraging people to join the movement and living your values. If you say you are an [ally], your everyday actions should align with that,” he said. “For example, if you support the queer community, then you don’t spend your money with businesses like Chic-Fil-A or Hobby Lobby that openly support anti-queer politicians and legislation.”
