The EU is committed to promoting human rights through its development policy. This article argues that its expansive human rights framework has led to EU‐internal and outside‐in politicization of LGBTI rights in Uganda. It views contestation as a mechanism of politicization and suggests two paths through which contestation occurs; based on the normative core or on the application of human rights conditionality. We establish these paths through a case study of politicization of LGBTI rights promotion in the Uganda–EU partnership. While member states' policies are more affected by political pressure from domestic constituents, EU institutions aim to depoliticize the issue and prioritizes diplomatic channels. Conversely, conditionality operates as a driver for contestation in beneficiary states. Whereas postcolonial studies interpret claims of universal rights as neo‐colonial intervention, our findings highlight a more nuanced applicatory contestation by rights activists. These actors insert themselves as change agents aiming to reshape the policies of international norm promoters.

中文翻译：

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欧盟－乌干达发展伙伴关系中LGBTI人权规范的政治化

欧盟致力于通过其发展政策促进人权。本文认为，其庞大的人权框架已导致欧盟内部和外部将乌干达的LGBTI权利政治化。它将竞争视为政治化的一种机制，并提出了发生竞争的两条路径。基于规范核心或适用人权条件。通过对乌干达与欧盟伙伴关系中LGBTI权利促进政治化的案例研究，我们建立了这些路径。虽然成员国的政策受到国内选民的政治压力的更大影响，但欧盟机构的目标是使问题非政治化，并优先考虑外交渠道。相反，在受益国中，条件性是竞争的驱动力。后殖民研究将普遍权利主张解释为新殖民主义干预，而我们的发现则凸显了人权活动家对应用性竞争的细微差别。这些行为者作为变革推动者而插入自己，旨在重塑国际规范推动者的政策。