Despite this chasm, in the beginning he perceived and experienced the collaboration with homosexuals as 'extremely good, very constructive and also very useful' (Coutinho 25 July 2008) . But tensions increased as time progressed: HIV/Aids spread, the number of parties involved increased and the decision-making structure grew more complex. From 1986 onwards, when a new information campaign was launched, Coutinho's critical, factual, and open attitude was too problematic for those working with him; he openly stated that the campaign masked the fact that homosexuals were a distinct risk population (Coutinho 25 July 2008) . Following this criticism, the productive working relationship with the gay community started to crumble.