How to Meet Little People: Practical Ways to Connect

By Midget Singles

Meeting little people for dating or relationships is a question that comes up often, whether you’re a little person yourself looking for someone who shares your experience, or an average-height person interested in the LP community. You have more options than you probably realise, from dedicated dating platforms and LP community events to social groups and online spaces built for the purpose. Most of it comes down to knowing where to look, and approaching people as people.

Where do little people actually meet each other?

The little people community is smaller and more geographically dispersed than most people appreciate. Little People of America estimates there are about 30,000 people with dwarfism in the United States. Across a country that size the density is low, and that shapes how the LP community connects.

Little People of America (LPA), a national non-profit that supports people of short stature and their families, is organised into districts, with local chapters inside them. LPA runs regional weekend meetings through the year alongside its annual national conference. These events bring LP community members together for networking, education, and social connection. LPA events are one of the places little people meet others who share their experience. The atmosphere is different from a dating event; it’s more like a community gathering where friendships form naturally and romantic connections develop over time.

Beyond LPA, smaller regional groups and social clubs exist in a number of cities. Some are formal organisations; others are informal meetup groups organised through Facebook or other social platforms. The Dwarf and Average Height Dating Group on Facebook, for instance, provides a space specifically for people interested in mixed-height relationships.

What are the best dating platforms for meeting little people?

Specialist dating platforms do not depend on living near an active LP chapter. Several platforms cater specifically to this community.

Midget Singles is built for this purpose: connecting short people and little people with partners who are genuinely interested in them. Unlike mainstream apps, where a height filter sits deep in the settings if it exists at all, a dedicated platform removes the guesswork. Everyone there understands the context. You’re not explaining yourself or hoping someone will look past your height; you’re meeting people in a space where height is simply part of who everyone is.

Other niche platforms include DateALittle. LittlePeopleMeet used to be the best known of these, but it is no longer an active website. A dedicated platform works on a simple principle: little people are the norm there rather than the exception.

Mainstream platforms can work too, but they require more effort. Match.com offers height filters that some LP community members use effectively. The trade-off is volume versus relevance: you’ll encounter far more profiles, but a much smaller percentage will be genuinely compatible or understanding of LP experiences. If you go the mainstream route, being upfront about your height in your profile saves everyone time. You will get fewer matches that way, but you will spend less of your time on people who were never going to be a fit.

How do you approach someone in the LP community with genuine respect?

Whether you’re a little person or average-height, the principles of respectful connection are straightforward, but worth stating clearly because inappropriate attention is a routine problem for the LP community.

If you’re average-height and interested in dating a little person, the most important thing is examining your own motivation honestly. Are you interested in this specific person as a complete human being, or are you drawn to the idea of dating someone with dwarfism? The LP community has a well-developed radar for fetishisation, and for good reason. People with dwarfism regularly receive messages that reduce them to their physical characteristics, treat them as novelties, or reference reality television stereotypes.

Real interest looks like this: you ask about someone’s work, their interests, what they’re reading, what matters to them. You treat their dwarfism as one aspect of who they are, not the defining feature. You don’t lead with comments about their height or make jokes about size differences before you’ve established any real connection.

If you’re a little person approaching other little people, the dynamic is different but not without its own considerations. Shared experience creates immediate common ground, but it’s worth remembering that dwarfism covers a very wide range of conditions with varying experiences. Little People of America puts the number of diagnosed types at approximately 400, and says achondroplasia accounts for perhaps 70 per cent of all cases. Someone with achondroplasia may have a very different daily reality from someone with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia or diastrophic dysplasia. Don’t assume shared experience means identical experience.

What challenges should you expect when meeting little people for dating?

Geography is the practical problem that comes up first. On Little People of America’s estimates about 30,000 little people live in the US and about 651,700 worldwide, so the dating pool is smaller than for most demographics. This means long-distance connections are common in the LP dating world, and flexibility about location can significantly expand your options. If you are open to starting long-distance, with one partner relocating later, you are not limited to your own city.

The second challenge is filtering genuine interest from problematic attention. On mainstream platforms in particular, little people field messages that range from well-meaning but clumsy to outright offensive. Learning to quickly identify red flags saves emotional energy. Warning signs include excessive focus on physical characteristics, references to LP reality shows as a frame of reference, questions that treat dwarfism as exotic, and an unwillingness to meet in person at community events where the dynamic would be more equal.

Social dynamics also play a role. Mixed-height couples sometimes face public curiosity, unsolicited comments, or staring. This isn’t a reason to avoid mixed-height relationships, but it’s something both partners should discuss openly before it happens. Talking about these situations in advance means neither of you is caught off guard by them.

For practical guidance on building confidence and navigating these dynamics, our guide to dating as a short person covers the psychological and practical foundations in detail.

How do you move from meeting to a genuine connection?

Meeting someone is only the first step. Building a real connection requires the same ingredients as any relationship: honesty, consistent communication, and genuine curiosity about each other’s lives. But there are a few LP-specific considerations worth noting.

Be patient with the process. Because the LP community is small, word travels. People tend to know each other, or know of each other, through LPA events and online groups. This can feel like pressure, but it’s also a built-in accountability structure. People are less likely to behave badly when there’s a community context around the relationship.

Talk about practical logistics early and without embarrassment. If there are accessibility considerations for dates (restaurant seating, transport, venue layout), mention them matter-of-factly. The right partner will appreciate the directness rather than finding it awkward. If someone makes you feel like a burden for having practical needs, that tells you everything about their suitability as a partner.

And let the relationship develop beyond the shared experience of height. Whether both partners are little people or one is average-height, what a relationship runs on is shared values, compatible lifestyles, and enjoying each other’s company. Dwarfism is part of the context, but it’s not the relationship itself.

What should average-height people know before seeking out little people to date?

If you’re average-height and specifically interested in meeting little people, self-awareness matters enormously. The LP community welcomes genuine allies and partners, but it has learned through hard experience to be cautious about people whose interest seems driven by curiosity rather than connection.

Before joining an LP dating platform or attending a community event, ask yourself whether you’d be equally interested in this person if they were average-height. If the answer is yes, and their dwarfism is simply one characteristic among many that you find attractive, you’re likely approaching this from a healthy place. If the answer is that dwarfism itself is the primary draw, it’s worth sitting with that honestly before involving another person’s feelings.

Consistent, respectful engagement over time is what shows real interest. Show up to community events not just to find a date but to understand the community. Listen more than you speak. Let relationships develop naturally rather than pursuing people aggressively. The LP community is close-knit, and people who approach with patience and authenticity are noticed and appreciated.

A note on the word "midget"

This site is called Midget Singles because that is the phrase people type into a search engine, not because it is the right word. Little People of America, whose figures are cited below, says the term has fallen into disfavour and is considered offensive by most people of short stature, and it runs an advocacy page on the term, headed The "M" Word. Dwarf, little person, LP and person of short stature are all fine. Better still, use the person’s name. Our guide to the words that matter goes into this properly.

Sources

Population figures on this page are Little People of America's own estimates. LPA states that there are an estimated 30,000 people with dwarfism in the United States and 651,700 around the world (Little People of America, Requesting Information, lpaonline.org). LPA's FAQ states that achondroplasia accounts for perhaps 70 per cent of all cases of dwarfism, and that there are approximately 400 diagnosed types (Little People of America, FAQ, lpaonline.org).