Ten years ago, Andrew Houldsworth snuck a note into the lunchboxes of each of his parents, telling them he’s gay. At school that day, he handed out similar notes to his friends in the cafeteria.

“I just didn’t want to say it,” he said.

With the help of Seacoast Outright, Houldsworth learned to talk about his sexual orientation in support groups, and eventually, he even shared his story with the public as part of the nonprofit’s outreach and leadership programming.

Seacoast Outright offers services and advocacy for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth, including support and social groups. In its nearly 20 years, the organization has helped more than 2,400 people, according to volunteer Louisa Morris.

Houldsworth is now in his mid 20s and has returned to the organization as a volunteer, hoping some day to also become a facilitator. He’s currently helping to plan the Art 2 Go gala on Saturday, Aug. 18, from 6 to 9 p.m., at Buoy Gallery in Kittery, Maine.

Seacoast Outright has collected about 40 donations of work from local artists to give away to ticket holders at this fundraiser. Some of the artists contributing are Wen Redmond, Shiao-Ping Wang, Shaune McCarthy, Sam Paolini, Sarah Haskell, Deb Cram, Kate Zamarchi and Peter Welch.

At the reception, numbered tickets will be drawn randomly in a lottery for choice of art. All ticket holders can leave with a piece of art.

There are also tickets available for viewing only, and there will be raffles with prizes from local business donors, including The Music Hall, Ogunquit Playhouse, Zorvino Vineyards and Candia Vineyards.

Morris, the event coordinator, said Art 2 Go was once a larger fundraiser held at the University of New Hampshire, and there’s an effort to restore it as an annual event. She said the economic downturn of recent years has been tough on the nonprofit, as with many others. They have had to restructure and are now dependant on committed volunteers.

Participation in the organization has also suffered, with a decrease from 20 or more kids per session at its height to a dozen or fewer per week now, Morris said. So there’s also a focus on spreading the word about what Seacoast Outright does.

Morris said many young people feel more encouraged to come out now than in the past, but they still have to deal with the fallout, which can involve physical or emotional harm.

“We know the need is still out there,” she said.

Houldsworth considers his experience coming out as a relatively positive one, since most of his family and friends were accepting or not caught unaware. But that isn’t always the case.

Seacoast Outright was founded to fill a void in services for youths of nontraditional sexual orientation or gender identity, responding to concerns about bullying and other forms of discrimination, and helping kids who are at higher risk of suicide, substance abuse, disease, dropping out of school and homelessness.

It provides a safe space for these youths to meet and socialize, and most importantly, said Houldsworth, just to be themselves. He still remembers his first meeting when he was still a teenager.

“It was just really cool to be around other gay kids and not feel like you’re alone,” he said.

Houldsworth said coming out is hard because people are raised with preconceived notions about sexuality, which is wrong because “the person is who they are, always,” he said.

But, he said, Seacoast Outright taught him to feel at home in his own body.

“I was like, ‘OK. There are a lot of us. This is normal,’” he said. “I only knew it was normal for me.”
He suddenly had a big group of friends and a dating pool.

“We were connected by our gayness, but we got to know each other beyond that,” he said.

Houldsworth believes life is improving for the GLBT community, with more people shifting from an “us versus them” mentality to being more socially responsible and aware.

He’s seen several states grant rights to same-sex couples. But, he said, current events prove there are still many people opposed to that progress, like those who lined up for fried chicken in support of the owner of a fast-food chain that spoke in opposition to gay marriage.

“People will always not like us. But the majority is starting to turn,” he said. “I think overall we’re better off.”

Houldsworth recently returned to the Seacoast with his partner and is looking for an apartment where he can hang the piece of art he won at a previous Art 2 Go event.

Drawing tickets for a piece of art at the gala are $100, and viewing tickets are $20. Tickets can be acquired in advance by searching for Art 2 Go at mycommunitytickets.net or by emailing Louisa Morris at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Limited viewing tickets will be available at the door.