Then, he set up Companions on a Journey, Sri Lanka's first gay rights group, in 1994.
Sherman de Rose set up Companions on a Journey in 1995, provoking a controversy since it was Sri Lanka's first gay rights group.
[1][2] De Rose helped to set up ACCESS (AIDS Coalition for Care, Education and Support Services), becoming its treasurer and convenor in 1997.
[3] In 1999, de Rose made a complaint about a letter to a newspaper which advocated violence against lesbians.
The Sri Lanka Press Council refused to hear the complaint and fined de Rose 2100 rupees.