I found this funny article excerpt referenced on kaworu's wikipedia article
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/editorial/1998-09-09This further accentuates the crowning achievement in Anno and Evangelion's Crown of 'Greatness': Kaworu Nagisa, Fifth Children and 17th Angel. Not only is Kaworu an enigmatic figure that further adds fuel to the fire of confusion, but he just manages to raise even more questions that remain unanswered: Is he sent by SEELE? What's his purpose? Is it to eliminate Gendou and NERV? And what is SEELE? First off, the element of homosexuality is perhaps the most disturbing, gratuitous, and unnecessary aspect that presents itself in episode 24. From the previous twenty-plus episodes, Shinji is presented as a very reserved person. His introspection is rivaled only by Rei. He has spent his entire 'life' in the Evangelion series with Rei, Asuka, Misato, Touji, Kensuke, etc. The fact that within a span of 14 minutes we are expected to believe that Shinji and Kaworu have transcended all boundaries and inhibitions to achieve an unearthly 'Love' and openness for each other is completely ludicrous and pathetically humorous. Ironically, we see a striking parallel that further emphasizes the irrationality of Kaworu and Shinji's relationship: Earlier, after Rei dies, Misato approaches Shinji and tries to comfort him. As she reaches for his hand, he recoils in disgust or is uncomfortable. Yet, along comes Kaworu, who he's known for about 10 minutes and is a boy, no less, and Shinji seems completely accepting of Kaworu's open touches and fondles. Ultimately, the homosexuality issue seems nothing more than cheap shock value tactics to stun generation X.
