Jürgen Habermas' idea of ​​the “public sphere” is considered a revolution in communication because it allows the transfer of information and ideas. This free flow of communication arising from public opinion would allow democracy to prevail as it would provide checks on powerful groups in society and allow for critical discussions. While Habermas' notion of this democratic mechanism allowed citizens to play a larger role in society, it ignored those who did not own property, white men of high prestige. In contrast to Habermas' ideas, Nancy Fraser coined the concept of the “subaltern counterpublic.” Subaltern counterpublics are spaces of democratic conversation for those who have been excluded from the public sphere. Power in society has often been given to white men, neglecting the needs and desires of minorities, women and people of color. Fraser's concept of a subaltern counterpublic provides these groups with a way to create discourses different from those represented in the mainstream media. NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, is an association that develops, supports and assists members of the student affairs profession. This association features what they call Knowledge Communities, which are smaller groups that provide support and networks for specific topics and similarities of their members. The gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) knowledge community hosted by NASPA is a subaltern counterculture because it provides a space for a marginalized community to create a discourse parallel to the dominant discourse created by mainstream media. Although gender and sexuality have increasingly become a part of mainstream culture, and are often discussed generally at home...... middle of paper... outside of society's "norm" due to their growing mental health issues and are talked about in a way that makes their sexuality a major factor determining their mental health status. By examining the inclusive and open space that the subaltern counterpublic of NASPA's GLBT knowledge community offers members, we see how they include their sexuality as just another part of their identity. In the articles from CNS News and the New York Daily News one can see how the mainstream media has a dominant discourse that separates the GLBT community from society solely because of their sexual identity. The goal of the subaltern counterpublic is to provide alternative spaces for members to discuss what is ignored or misrepresented in the mainstream media, such as the separation of the GLBT community from the rest of society because their sexuality is seen as a distinctive trait..