Peter Perkowski (he/him) is a lawyer and a LGBT activist.

He is currently the Legal & Policy Director for the Modern Military Association of American, Chair of the Board of Directors of APLA Health, and the Director of MPact—Global Action for Gay Men’s Health and Rights.

He is also the founder of Perkowski Legal.

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Perkowski is the Legal & Policy Director for the Modern Military Association of American, which assists the military community—including active-duty servicemembers, veterans, and Department of Defense civilians, and their spouses and families—who identify as LGBTQ or living with HIV primarily with legal needs pertaining to equal access, equal treatment, and equal service.

Peter is responsible for setting and implementing the strategic direction of MMAA’s legal work and supervising its staff, as well as managing partnerships with numerous pro-bono law firms and other civil rights organizations.

Peter also undertakes direct representation of some of MMAA’s neediest clients, appearing as counsel in an administrative separation board and court-martial proceedings to defend LGBT servicemembers and those living with HIV.

He represents MMAA itself as counsel in impact litigation and as amicus curiae.

In his role as Legal Director, Peter has sued the Trump Administration four times on behalf of servicemembers who are facing discriminatory policies—including involuntary separation—because of their gender identity or HIV status.

Peter previously served on the Board of Directors of MMAA’s predecessor OutServe-SLDN (and its predecessor Servicemembers Legal Defense Network), from 2012 to 2015, and then advised the organization as a legal consultant.

He has also served the community through pro bono legal work, assisting clients in immigration matters before the U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly the INS), and immigration courts at all levels, and federal appeals courts.

His work has focused on helping people fleeing their home countries because of persecution based on real or perceived LGBT identity and/or HIV status.

He also written and submitted numerous amicus briefs on behalf of organizations in high-profile or critically important LGBT and HIV-related civil rights matters.

In addition to his work for MMAA, Peter currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of APLA Health (previously known as AIDS Project Los Angeles), a federally qualified health clinic primarily serving populations who are LGBT and/or living with HIV.

Peter is also a Director of MPact—Global Action for Gay Men’s Health and Rights (formerly The Global Forum on MSM & HIV), an organization that advocates for equitable access to effective HIV prevention, care, treatment, and support services for gay men and bisexual men, including those living with HIV, while promoting their health and human rights worldwide.

In his private practice, Peter is the founder of Perkowski Legal, PC, which serves the legal needs of businesses and individuals in the creative-cultural industries including sports, entertainment, music, art and photography, advertising, fashion and design, and toys and games.

A former partner at an international law firm, Peter has over 20 years of experience in intellectual property and general business legal matters.

Peter is one of only two lawyers in the LGBTQ/HIV civil-rights movement who are openly living with HIV.

In 2010, the National LGBT Bar Association included Peter on its inaugural Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 list.

Peter received his B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Rochester in New York, his law degree from George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C, and his M.A. in Kinesiology from California State University, Long Beach.

He is admitted to practice in California and the District of Columbia.