I really think this is the only place that would get it and would appreciate any advice. I like making friends through shared hobbies, especially in the arts. I usually have no problem with making friendships with women, but it's really weird with men.

I'm pretty friendly, so they either assume Im hitting on them, or they find me attractive and not really talk with me as a person, or their girlfriends get jealous, even though im trying to establish im just looking for friends. My issue is that there is always some gendered/sexual underlay, because maybe the concept of friends with the other gender is lost on straights?

Anyone has been dealing with this? Should I just aim for the queer community, since we are more open minded about the idea of personhood and friendships?