This paper describes how an ethnographer proceeded in a study of group identify, voice, and participation in the greater culture of gay and bisexual college men at a large research university. The researcher, himself a heterosexual man, conceptualized the investigation as a crossing of cultural borders. The investigator initially attended several meetings of the campus Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Student Alliance (LGBSA) and realized that this community would not authorize his research and that he must claim the right himself. This raised the question of how to proceed with respect and sensitivity for the cultural differences involved. Through the research experience the researcher concluded that ethnographers should provide opportunities for the voice of the participants to dominate when representation rests on complex points of interpretation. A final question concerned the role of the ethnographer in dealing with issues of identity. In response, the investigator created an advisory panel of homosexual individuals, had students review transcripts from interviews, and asked all key characters to review descriptions and interpretations of their lives. (Contains 9 references.) (JB)