Counterpublics on YouTube: The case of trans communities

The accessibility and democratization of online media has allowed voices to emerge around issues with low visibility. In this study we are looking at the trans community. Whereas publics are generated in mainstream media, counterpublics emerge from the margins, generating alternative spaces for debate and discussion. YouTube has emerged as a space for collaborative learning and participation, breaking the boundaries between public/private and collective/personal. Taking Elsa Ruiz Comica and Alejandro P. E.'s YouTube channels as a case study, we intend to understand how their respective counter-publics are configured, and to analyze their strategies of technological appropriation and activism. Thanks to the debate generated by their videos, these trans youtubers manage to transfer innovative concepts to a wider audience, contributing to the recognition of diverse (sexual) identities, and to the questioning of gender binarism.