One trick is to "ignore" the gender and concentrate on the person. It help to have a (non-romantic) friend of an opposite sex.

My dad died when I was very young and my mother never remarried. Although my mother did have a husband (my dad), she had a strange idea of men. She kept telling me that men can be bad, they can start consuming too much alcohol, they can cheat and they can be abusive. I don't know where she got this strange perspective. Maybe that happened to some of the people she knew.

Boys used to make fun of me at school and I lost my self-confidence. But in my 20s it started changing. I started looking for a male role-model among my mentors at the university. I met some people who helped me become the person I am right now.

OneInBillions, I don't think it's as bad as it seems to you right now. I strongly believe there is the right person for you out there, you two just haven't met yet. You will meet that person some day, maybe very soon. Until then you should invest into yourself, your health and your personal happiness. Is there anything you always wanted to do? Learn to play an instrument or learn a foreign language? Just go for it. New activities bring new opportunities.