Anthony Romero is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, a nonprofit that works to defend the individual rights guaranteed by the US Constitution. Born in New York City to parents from Puerto Rico, Romero is the first Latino and the first openly gay man to hold this position. Under Romero's leadership, which began just days before the attacks of September 11, 2001, the ACLU has grown to an organization of more than 500,000 members and has successfully challenged several efforts to limit civil liberties.