My boy kitty is very afraid of men, including my husband, and this breaks his heart, because he loves the kitty so much. If the kitty hears any men's voices or footsteps, he runs and hides. Since he was a shelter rescue, we'll never know what was in his past that makes him so scared. My husband gets his feelings hurt by this, and I try to explain to him that the kitty is not doing this on purpose. Of course, the kitty is also afraid of my daughter, because she's extremely loud and boisterous (typical teenager). I guess it's not so much gender as it is mannerisms. I teased my husband that maybe he should act more effeminate around the kitty and then the kitty would climb up on his lap once in a while.