Council mocked by internet trolls for turning Cardiff Castle green for Dwarfism Awareness Day

Nation Cymru staff

Cardiff Castle lit up green to mark Dwarfism Awareness Day yesterday ‘to raise awareness and understanding of dwarfism’ but the kind act has been mocked widely across the internet.

Every year on October 25, International Dwarfism Awareness Day celebrates ‘little people’. The day also spreads awareness for achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that causes dwarfism.

Sharing the news on Facebook yesterday, Cardiff Council wrote: “Tonight, Cardiff Castle will light up green to mark Dwarfism Awareness Day.

“The illumination celebrates diversity and helps raise awareness and understanding of dwarfism.”

The post then linked to Little People UK, which is a charity that is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with dwarfism while celebrating with great pride, little people’s contribution to social diversity.

Cardiff Council had to switch off comments as the post became viral overnight, with people choosing to make fun of the decision, and calling into question the need for the Council to choose this cause.

Nation Cymru has chosen not to repeat any of the mocking comments that were written on the post, or on blog sites from across the world.

Many came to the Council’s defence, however, and highlighted how the mocking and ‘jokes’ prove the prejudice faced by people with dwarfism – with one writing – ‘this is exactly why the council did the right thing – it’s raised awareness of how difficult life must be for people who don’t fit the ideal standard of nasty online trolls’.

One wrote: “When did this become “a thing” no offence meant but never heard of it before”, with a commenter responding: “looks like the awareness day worked then.”

Right wing Facebook pages, X accounts and blogs have written countless pieces on the post, with one parody Facebook page, The Lamented – which has over 140,000 followers – writing: “Tonight, Cardiff Castle STUNS as it lights up green to mark Dwarfism Awareness Day which celebrates diversity and helps raise awareness and understanding of dwarfism,” purposefully drawing attention to the post, while adding: “People making fun of dwarfism in the comments – how low can you stoop.”

Prejudice

Dwarfism Awareness Day is a day to raise awareness of dwarfism and to end stigmas and stereotypes surrounding dwarfism. In countries all around the world, people with dwarfism still face social and physical barriers that can stand in the way of choices and opportunities.

Prejudice against individuals with dwarfism involves socio-cultural discrimination, negative stereotyping, street harassment, and systemic barriers influenced by both heightism and disablism.

Individuals with dwarfism frequently report being subjected to staring, name-calling, unauthorized photographs, and offensive jokes in public spaces.

Research shows that people with dwarfism are often stereotyped as “weird,” “incapable,” “childish,” or objects of amusement rather than autonomous adults, with prominent figures and advocates describing mocking dwarfism or using derogatory terms as a form of prejudice that remains widely normalised or dismissed in comedy and media.

Historically and in modern contexts, individuals with dwarfism have faced objectification through commercialised novelty acts or bar sports like “dwarf tossing,” which a Data for Progress survey showed 58% of voters support banning.

People with dwarfism face overt employment discrimination, height-restricted job criteria, and a lack of physical accommodations in infrastructure (such as standard-height counters, shelves, transportation, and public facilities).

Little People UK

Little People UK is a registered charity that provides support and information to people of short stature and their families.

Each year they hold two events, which give their members a chance to meet up and take part in activities and workshops, to provide them with knowledge related to dwarfism, and also create an equal social environment where difference and ability are irrelevant, ensuring a positive and supportive future is being created.

They have also produced a number of awareness raising documents, such as videos, leaflets and posters, with information regarding medical and social issues relating to dwarfism, to be distributed to the medical profession and also the wider public.

LPUK strives to bring solutions to global awareness to the prominent issues affecting individuals of short stature and their families and provide information and resources to the community and the medical profession.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.