If I Had Known Boys Could Be Sexually Assaulted Too

If I Had Known Boys Could Be Sexually Assaulted Too (Chinese: 如果早知道男生也會被性侵) is an educational film about gender equality and sexual assault produced in 2012 by the National Academy for Educational Research (國家教育研究院) of Taiwan. It was based on a real-life case.^[1]^[2]^[3] The story follows a male high school student, A-Wei (阿瑋; played by Huang Yao-Wei, 黃耀緯), who is sexually assaulted by Jie-ge (杰哥, lit. 'Brother Jie'; played by Wu Jia-Wei, 伍嘉緯). The film sparked significant online discussion, with many of its lines becoming internet memes.

Raised by his grandmother, teenager A-Wei (阿瑋) argues with her while playing video games on his laptop and runs away from home. He and his friend Bin-Bin (彬彬) go to an internet café to play Crazy Arcade. At the café, they catch the attention of Jie-ge (杰哥), who waits outside and approaches them. Pretending to be kind, Jie-ge gives them a piece of bread, claiming he "often helps runaways" and purchases food for "hungry, penniless boys", luring them to his home. A-Wei agrees to spend the night at Jie-ge's place with Bin-Bin. Jie-ge thus brings them to a convenience store to buy them snacks, while stealing two 6-packs of beer.

At Jie-ge's home, while Bin-Bin is passed out drunk in the living room, Jie-ge takes A-Wei to his bedroom to watch pornography and forces A-Wei to undress. When A-Wei refuses, Jie-ge beats, sexually assaults, and threatens him.^[4] Afterward, Jie-ge continues to harass A-Wei with explicit text messages, causing A-Wei severe emotional and psychological trauma, leading him to skip school for a long time. Later, at a park, A-Wei encounters Shu-Hui (淑惠), a life education volunteer at his school. Hearing her mention terms related to sexual assault triggers an emotional breakdown, catching her attention. Under her guidance, A-Wei opens up about his experience and follows her advice to report the incident to the police, undergo medical examination, initiate legal proceedings, and notify the school for psychological counseling.^[5]

Cast

Huang Yao-Wei (黃耀緯) as A-Wei (阿瑋)
Wu Jia-Wei (伍嘉緯) as Jie-ge (杰哥)
Huang Shao-Qi (黃韶麒) as Bin-Bin (彬彬)
Zhang Chang-Mian (張昌緬) as Teacher Shu-Hui (淑惠老師)
Chen Wan-Ting (陳婉婷) as Mei-Qi (美琪)
Zhao Li-Hua (趙莉華) as A-Wei's Grandma
Pan Yong-Yu (潘永裕) as Little Boy
Luo Zi-Qing (羅子晴) as Little Girl

Production

One of the filming locations, Dingnei No. 15 Park (碇內十五號公園). — Dingnei No. 15 Park

If I Had Known Boys Could Be Sexually Assaulted Too was commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Taiwan and produced by the National Academy for Educational Research,^[2] with Love Transmission Family Media Culture Co., Ltd. (傳愛家族傳播文化事業有限公司) as the production company and Chen Bei-Chuan (陳北川) as the director. Filming took place in Keelung City,^[6]^[2] including locations such as Nuannuan High School (暖暖高中), Xinfeng Street (新豐街), and Dingnei No. 15 Park (碇內十五號公園).^[7] The theme song was written by the Love Transmission Creative Team (傳愛創意小組) and composed by Maluda Yisu (馬路大·以夙), a member of the Love Transmission Family Media Company (傳愛家族傳播公司).^{[citation needed]}

Reception

Uploaded online in 2013^[6] (or 2012^[5]), the video sparked heated discussions among netizens due to the realistic acting of Jie-ge and A-Wei.^[4] In 2017, it gained popularity on Bilibili, triggering a new wave of attention.^{[citation needed]}

Popularity

By July 2013, the film had garnered nearly 800,000 views,^[6] setting a record for promotional videos by Taiwan government agencies. As of June 2023, it had accumulated over 3 million views on YouTube and was featured in nearly half a page of United Evening News [zh].^[8] It is frequently referenced in articles discussing male-on-male sexual assault.^[9] Netizens have created various adapted versions of the film.^[6] In 2019, it sparked another wave of popularity in mainland China, with phrases like "Let me take a look (讓我看看)", "I’m super brave (我超勇的)", "Deng dua lang (tńg-tuā-lâng)", and "Jie-ge, don't (杰哥不要)" becoming viral internet slang.^{[citation needed]}

The development of actors

Wu Jia-Wei, who played Jie-ge, and Huang Yao-Wei, who played A-Wei, gained fame from the film. Some people called the phone number from Jie-ge's threatening texts to A-Wei to reach Wu Jia-Wei,^[4] and others even visited him to invite him to reprise the role.^[10] Huang Yao-Wei noted that his friends often teased him with the film, nearly driving him to anger.^[11]

Wu Jia-Wei, later known as Iron Bull (鐵牛), began creating YouTube content and co-founded the group WanGAME (頑GAME) with YouTuber Hua Sen (華森). After WanGAME disbanded,Wu Jia-Wei continued running the YouTube channel IronbullTingTing (鐵牛婷婷) with his wife Tingting (婷婷), and He also has a Bilibili channel .^{[citation needed]}

Huang Yao-Wei, who played A-Wei, became a theater actor, participated in short film productions, and appeared in PTS Original Film – No Anger (公視新創電影－不發火) by the Public Television Service Foundation (公共電視文化事業基金會).^[12]

In late 2023, Wu Jia-Wei (Iron Bull), Huang Yao-Wei, and Zhang Chang-Mian (Shu-Hui) reunited to perform in Taiwan's first meme-based musical, Oh!~ Jie-Ge, Don't!! (吼呦～杰哥不要啦！！).^{[citation needed]}

Criticism

Some criticized If I Had Known Boys Could Be Sexually Assaulted Too for lacking its intended gender equality education. In 2013, Li Jia-Lin (李佳霖), a PhD student at the Institute of Social and Cultural Studies, National Chiao Tung University, and member of "Love, Peace, and Fuck" (愛與和平與幹), wrote a critique arguing that the film fails to serve an educational purpose and reinforces stereotypes of middle-aged men as predators who abduct and assault boys. The critique also suggested the film links AIDS patients with sexual assault victims, suppressing adolescents' sexual expression.^[13]