This article discusses the tension between ‘do no harm’ on the one hand and the integrity of the research process and its intended goals on the other. We discuss a set of choices confronted in the process of researching gender and sexuality in the context of HIV in South African schools. One dilemma was what to do with information that suggested that an adjunct member of the research team was undermining the gender equality goals of the project and possibly contravening school rules, national law and the professional teacher’s code. We explore how we confronted the dilemma of balancing ethical and consent requirements with the reality of interactions and culturally embedded responsibilities and moral considerations.
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