Civil Society Organizations and Social Protection of Vulnerable Gender-diverse Persons (LGBTQ+) in Isan, Thailand

The purposes of this study were: 1) to investigate the social protection by civil society organizations (CSOs) provided for vulnerable gender-diverse persons (LGBTQ+) 2), to compare the social protection of vulnerable gender-diverse persons (LGBTQ+) by the formal CSOs and informal CSOs. This research collected information by using the in-depth interview method. There were 7 key informants in total, and they were selected from the formal CSOs and informal CSOs operating in Isan. The gathered information was analyzed according to the thematic analysis approach. The research findings indicated that CSOs provided social protection for the vulnerable LGBTQ+ in Isan via 6 types of social protection: 1) Counselling, 2) Health and sexually transmitted diseases check-up service, 3) Coordination and liaison, 4) Presentation and dissemination of information, 5) Distribution of charitable donations, and 6) Finding the employment opportunities. Each organization engaged in social protection differently, depending on the main organizational objective and personnel’s specialization. An organization usually cannot provide all types. Furthermore, the study also found similarities and differences between social protection by formal and informal CSOs in seven domains: personnel, funds, resources (equipment/skill/knowledge), connection and network with other organizations, areas of operation, methods of reaching the target group, and government support.