Crocus -- I agree with you about the women friends stuff but then again, I'm not from the US.

It really tends to raise my hackles especially when otherwise seemingly intelligent women start talking about the whole "girls night out", "it's just us girls", "let's keep it to only girls / women" (this when planning something) stuff. And, for what it's worth, I'm equally irritated with the whole "let boys be boys", "boys night out" sort of stuff.

I used to think it was a generational thing and then I thought maybe it's a regional thing but now I'm just not sure any more.

I think if I look at my close female vs. male friends, the difference seems to be not so much in what we talk about but rather how we talk about it. And, I'm not sure that's entirely a gender thing (at least in the case of my friends' circle) as much as personality differences -- so, I have female friends who are utterly impatient with all talk of feelings and would rather go out with me and watch as I punch a few things if I tell them I'm upset; and, similarly I have male friends who would look deep into my eyes and ask me how I'm doing / feeling and push me to answer even when I try every which way to deflect.

Art -- all of that's not to criticize your T (obviously, I can't really say what she meant but just that the phrasing would've rubbed me the wrong way).