It’s impossible to get a girlfriend in the south without pretending to be religious

I’m so so tired of feeling like I have to pretend to be Christian just to have a chance with a girl. Living in the South, where Christianity is basically a requirement for social acceptance, makes it even worse. Every time religion comes up, I already know what’s coming—if you don’t believe in God, you’re immediately seen as broken, immoral, or just “not the kind of guy” they’d date. It’s frustrating because I know I’m a decent person, but none of that seems to matter compared to whether or not I say grace before meals.

And before anyone says, “The right person will be an atheist too,” let’s be real—that’s not how it works here. The only atheist girls at my school are the stereotypical overweight, blue-haired, ultra-feminist types who seem to hate everything, including guys. Meanwhile, every attractive, fun girl I meet is locked into this mindset that a guy has to be Christian, or at least pretend to be, to even have a shot.

It just sucks feeling like I have to either fake faith or accept being single forever. I don’t get how something as personal as religion still controls everything, including relationships. Anyone else in the South dealing with this, or is my school just extra bad?