In May 2021, Alireza Fazeli Monfared, a 20-year-old who identified as a non-binary gay man, was abducted and murdered by several family members seemingly on the basis of his sexual orientation and gender identity. Reports suggest that Alireza, who had been subjected to years of discrimination and abuse for his sexuality and gender non-conformity, was just days away from leaving Iran to seek asylum abroad before his identity was discovered after a family member opened a letter to Alireza exempting him from military service. Under Iranian law, ‘sexual perversions and homosexuality’ are considered a mental illness and are grounds for military exemption.