I was born in Iran in 1988. For all but the first year of my life, my homeland has been ruled by the same man: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader who has final authority over every major decision but is accountable to no one. I have voted in the elections of the Islamic Republic but every candidate on every ballot was vetted for total fealty to Khamenei. A political party sharing my own convictions of democratic socialism couldn’t dream of legally existing in Iran. Neither could any political party outside the Islamist framework. This prohibition has kept me away from Iran for years now. My politics renders me persona non grata.