

Your first paragraph is like looking in a mirror lmao. Hi!
Dating your typical woman was a path to constant failure for me growing up. My endless mixed house parties throughout college never lead to anything sexual let alone romantic either. Stuff like that. Failing to attract each other, there was just an obvious disconnect. I’d get plenty of initial attention (mainly because I’m extreme tall), but once talking we slid off each other. Maybe you get what I mean more than most. Took me too long to figure out why I couldn’t find a partner. One nickname was Gentle Giant among friends. I was so unsuccessful people accused me of being closet gay.
Don’t find male mind/bodies attractive, and said house parties included very gay and very open roommates. In the end I figured out mentally masculine women do it for me, and there’s mutual interest within that grouping. Non-binary especially. We really like each other. But there’s a subsection that really matters to me:
and expressing a desire to protect me.
That just does it for me more than anything else. Often found in people who have another quality… something I struggle to describe. People Who Seem To Collect Good People? Best I can do without writing paragraphs. Maybe someone else can do it justice.
So the short answer is: I can only speak of my own bumbling around in this weird thing called life. Possibly experiment more. It could be the problem isn’t you, but who you pursue!
Shorter answer:
but IRL is the good stuff. Usually they’re not in a dress though :P
Or they do, but it’s more harmful than anything because their reading comprehension is bad and they’re a magical thinking type human. So their take away is going to be outright wrong and they’re proud to be. Your truth has no value compared to how they feel, and they presuppose they’re correct and on equal footing as you despite having nothing to back up their claims.
The amount of times I’ve had people like this link to a source when badgered for one, and the link argues against their position is enough to cause dismay lol.