The Women's Support Group grew out of CoJ, the two organisations sharing the Felipa de Souza Award in 2001.
CoJ immediately provoked controversy because it was the first Sri Lankan gay rights group; the offices were attacked and staff were assaulted.
[5] Following the International Lesbian and Gay Association Asia regional conference in Mumbai in 2002, Companions on a Journey held a press conference in Sri Lanka at which de Rose stated the organisation's aims were to achieve LGBT equality and to change the belief that homosexuality was a disease which could be cured.
[7][2] In 2008, Companions on a Journey and the Women’s Support Group put on the first Solidarity Games in Colombo, which were attended by over 300 people.
[8] Rivira (a Sinhala weekly newspaper) published a stories in 2011 which accused CoJ of spreading homosexuality and outed several people.