Dan Swygart Issues Response To Hate Over Relationship With 'I Am Shauna Rae' Star

During season two of the TLC reality show, "I Am Shauna Rae," viewers got a glimpse into the blossoming relationship between star Shauna Rae and Dan Swygart, a man she met online. While many people meet others online and it's not a big deal, tons of fans of the show have expressed their concern and dislike for this particular relationship simply over the fact that Shauna Rae's appearance is that of a child.

Viewers of the show are aware of the reason why Shauna Rae stopped growing at a young age, and despite the fact that she is a 23-year-old woman trapped in a young child's body, many threw hateful comments around about her relationship with Swygart.

The 27-year-old took to Instagram to clear some things up and speak his peace on the matter in a video to the naysayers captioned, "Here’s my official response to all the hate over the past few days."

"Hey guys, just want to say thank you so much for all the support and kind message. I really appreciate it," he began his statement. "Me and Shauna are still just good friends getting to know each other, but I think it's absolutely disgusting the attitude of some people. She's been through so much in life. She survived cancer as a child. She's always been felt different and treated differently by society. But how dare you take away her right, her human right to have a connection, a friendship, a relationship with someone else. Who are you to say she that can't have that? I'm absolutely disgusted by some people's attitudes towards her and my friendship with her."

He continued to explain his frustration on how their friendship is being portrayed by some, but then he began to explain the good that's come from it all. "Despite all of the hate, there have been some amazing things that have come from the show," he continued. "I'm so proud to have had that positive impact on the world. So many people who have disabilities or they have friends and family who have disabilities have reached out and said thank you for showcasing that it's OK to build a connection or friendship with someone who's different by society standards. It's given so many people hope that despite them being different that they too can find an amazing friendship and connection with someone."

In late December, Swygart shared a video on social media explaining the backstory of how the two originally met for those who don't know. "The way me and Shauna met was I saw the first season of the show, and I was really inspired by her emotional strength, so I sent her some flowers and a card saying go live your best life, wishing you all the happiness you deserve," he explained.

"Of course, I did the show knowing I was going to get some hate, but it's very important to remember that Shauna is an incredible 23-year-old woman who has a disability so as you're building a connection with her it's important to acknowledge her disability and look past that and build it with who she is as an individual."

His video continued to share his thoughts on how some people aren't emotionally mature enough to have a connection on something more than just looks, and that it's not fair to say she "cannot have a real-world connection with someone else" because of her appearance.

Almost all of the comments on Swygart's posts were positive and thanking him for speaking out to stop the unnecessary hate. "Well said Dan. I appreciate your coming into our lives," Shauna Rae's mom, Patty Schrankel wrote. "Amen! She is human and deserves love! I bet if she dated 8 year olds or 12 years people would lose their sh** also. Lol. Have compassion people. We all deserve love," another person wrote.

One follower could totally relate to their situation sharing, "💯 agree! I’m 3’11 and my husband is 6’3. When we first started dating everyone assumed we were together for the dumbest reasons. Just because a person is short, doesn’t define who we are as individuals and that we can’t have a normal life. Love is love."

"Mate, let them talk. They’ve got nothing better to do. Their disability is not being able to love,❤️❤️" another follower reminded Swygart.