I admit it, My gender is messed up on so many levels...and there is nothing I despise more than our womanly head games, or other various overly done, demeanor... granted Im in my late 20's so my input may be alittle outdated in some areas...
that being said, I still have had the unfortunate task of having to learn these things.
First off, I concur that step one is to man up and make your position known... don't be fidgety, edgy, nervous...just stand your ground and make it known that you ARE a male, you ARE stronger than they may think, and wont let pretty eyes or a nice rack completely melt your spine. " which is actually more attractive IMHO"
secondly, if their tone of voice is more..apathetic sounding, like they are trying too hard to play mom, or a therapist, chances are it's a pity thing.
but on the other hand... sometimes it's done for genuine reasons, the way Im reading it makes it sound as though your fairly young and still in school. If that is the case are the girls " of a higher rank" in the cast system of the school " that is A-lst, b-list etc"
I ask this, because even though I always found this whole cast systems of schools to be utter crap, it does show that once and a while some do try and see through that crap and connect with another person, based strictly on the fact that the other person is a good individual, they could very well actually care and hold you dear as a friend, or even potentially trying to hint at more, however cast lines can't be crossed, doing so would be taboo, and they need to..alter how things look.
basically it boils down to getting the answers yourself, in person, regardless of the situations....though I do suggest that when making your stand, don't be too abrasive, one can be firm without being rough, bring it up in a random conversation your having, but don't come across as sounding like a wounded puppy, or like your interrogating a witch hunt.