Gouterman was a community organiser and activist. He campaigned to end the Vietnam War. 
In his early career Gouterman was not open about his sexuality. He came out as gay at around age 35 after he moved to Seattle. There he became an activist for gay rights and co-founded the Dorian Society. 
He also worked with the New Jewish Agenda and International Jewish Peace Union to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace.
In the early 1980s, Gouterman acted as a sperm donor and helped a lesbian couple have a son.Through mutual acquaintances, he discovered the identity of his son and thereafter enjoyed a close relationship with him.
In the last years of his life, Gouterman suffered from Alzheimer's disease.