Femme Invisibility?

[clementinefemme]

I don't know if this is a good place to post this, but I had some new friends from work over tonight and they were shocked when I explained to them my identity as a femme lesbian. They expected me to be into other feminine women and expressed clear disappointment when I talked about what I find attractive in partners. When I showed them photos of my celebrity crushes, they didn't hold back their disapproval.

They kept pressuring me to admit that I had liked/dated "regular" women before, but I have not. I don't know how to articulate it exactly, but it was deeply uncomfortable. I felt very isolated and alienated from the group because they made it clear I wasn't "normal" to them. I guess I'm used to this experience in a way, since part of being gender-conforming and straight-passing is the need to repeatedly come out, but this felt particularly hurtful because I liked and trusted these women.

They really did make me feel that the way I experience attraction is wrong and needs "fixing."

I think this is why I feel very reluctant to discuss this topic with anyone, because every time I don't get the understanding and respect that I want.

If anyone has dealt with this before, I would appreciate your insight.