I have posted earlier this month that I am now in a platonic partnership. We are not romantic. We do not engage in sex. We do the typical hand holding, telling each other we love you, etc. But there are no romantic feelings. I feel emotionally intimate with her as she knows the most about me. But there isn't romance. And when we explain this to people, they tell us "Just be romantic! Why can't you admit you are romantic?" "I mean... what's the difference between being best friends and what you are? Romance is...higher than that."

It angers me to no end. Why does Romance = true love, but Platonic = lesser? I have never loved so greatly, or felt so loved by another. And I HAVE been in romantic relationships. They were uncomfortable to me, too filled with drama and "what ifs".

I just don't understand. I guess I am just wondering why people value romance over platonic relationships and friendships? (queerplatonic partnerships are a thing by the way for those curious).